ive Just Stop Oil protesters have been charged with aggravated trespass after allegedly disrupting a Les Miserables show in London’s West End.
The performance at the Sondheim Theatre in Shaftsbury Avenue was brought to a halt at around 9pm on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police said.
Hannah Taylor, 23, Lydia Gribbin, 28, Hanan Ameur, 22, Noah Crane, 18, and Poppy Bliss, 19, are accused of being the eco-warriors who leapt on the stage to unveil a flag during the famous song Do You Hear the People Sing?
Video footage from inside showed angry audience members booing and shouting “get off” and “how dare you?” as staff brought the safety curtain down.
The stunt forced the evacuation of the theatre and there was not enough time for the show to be completed.
Taylor, of Dronfield Woodhouse, Derbyshire; Gribbin, from Bristol; Ameur, of Hornsey, north London; Crane, from Buxton, Derbyshire; and Bliss, of Thurston, Suffolk have been released on bail and will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 3.
Just Stop Oil of activists disrupting a performance of Les Miserables
/ Just Stop Oil/PA WireDo You Hear the People Sing? has become associated with calls to action.
The song has been used all over the world by real-life protest movements, including in the 2019 Hong Kong demonstrations.
Police said they are keen to hear from audience members who may have travelled from outside London to see the show.
Anyone with footage or information about the incident can call police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting 2074/5OCT.
