Moment police swoop on Just Stop Oil 'soup night' and arrest six 'key organisers' on suspicion of planning to disrupt airports

Police have arrested six Just Stop Oil activists at a supposed soup night in London this evening.

Hackney Police has detained a number of key organisers for the group who had allegedly been plotting to cause mayhem for thousands of holidaymakers this summer by disrupting airports across the UK.

Officers swooped on an east London community centre earlier today and arrested six activists during an event which JSO later claimed was a 'soup night'.

The eco group also claimed another protestor named Daniel was arrested whilst staying at their parents home in the capital.

Protesters had allegedly planned to disrupt airports in a 'sustained period of action', warning that an attack on Stansted airport last week, where two private jets were sprayed in orange paint, was just a 'prelude'.

JSO shared a video on X, showing the moment the suspected organisers were arrested earlier this evening. 

One officer is heard telling one of the group: 'By taking part in the organisation of this event this evening, I suspect you are taking part in a plot to cause serious disruption to UK airports.'

A female activist is then see being led out of the hall in handcuffs as she is surrounded by several officers and other members of the public.  

The video later cuts to a video of an activist, named Daniel, being arrested in a house by two police officers. 

Daniel can be heard telling the camera: 'I'm being arrested. I'm not really sure why. 

'I'm at my parents' house right now. I was just here in London visiting my parents. 

'I think I've been told I'm under arrest for conspiracy to commit a public nuisance. 

'Well this is what happens when you resist the British state.'

Hackney Police said in a statement: 'Tonight (27 June), our officers made six arrests during an event at an east London community centre. 

'We believe some of those in custody are key organisers for Just Stop Oil.

'All the arrests were under a section of the Public Order Act which makes it illegal to conspire to disrupt national infrastructure.

'We continue to work with airport operators and others to prevent significant disruption.

'Activists do not have the right to commit criminal acts that may also endanger themselves and others.

'Anyone who disrupts the safety and security of an airport can expect to be dealt with swiftly and robustly.'  

The climate group has made headlines in recent weeks for its latest stunts including spray painting Stonehenge and spraying two private jets at Stansted airport.

But according to a source, the stunt at Stansted was only a 'prelude' to plans to disrupt even more airports over the coming months.

Speaking to The Times, the source said: 'This is just another way of us taking action in the theatres of life we exist in because we're not politicians.

'Private jets are obviously mental for emissions and most people would agree they need to stop.

'It's a wake-up call for government that we need big radical changes.

'If this incoming government doesn't get us on war footing then we're not going to have anywhere to fly to.'

A JSO spokesman told MailOnline: 'We have smashed through the 1.5 degree threshold that was supposed to keep us safe, the consequences of this are catastrophic and this is leading to runaway extreme temperatures that are making large parts of the world unable to support human life. We cannot continue business as usual. 

'To protect our families and communities we need an emergency, international legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuel burning by 2030.' 

When asked whether they would disrupt people's summer holidays, the spokesman said: 'We will be taking action at sites of key importance to the fossil fuel economy to demand an emergency, international legally binding treaty to phase out oil, gas and coal burning by 2030.' 

Last week two JSO activists were also arrested and later bailed for throwing orange powder paint at Stonehenge.

Rajan Naidu, 73, and Niamh Lynch, 21, ran up to the stones and attacked them as members of the public tried to intervene.

Video footage showed two people wearing white shirts with the Just Stop Oil slogan, approaching the stone circle with canisters and spraying orange powder paint.

The group claimed it would wash off in the rain but archaeologists are concerned about potential damage to the 5,000-year-old world icon and landmark.

Tim Daw, a local farmer and historic property steward who used to volunteer at the site, carried out an experiment by mixing cornflour and food dye and then applying it to a small piece of sarsen, which is the same stone as Stonehenge.

On the piece of sarsen a series of little back dots are visible, which are the lichen.

Mr Daw described this on BBC Breakfast as a 'very, very rare plant organism that grows on rocks' which 'takes hundreds of years to grow because there's no nutrition'.

He then washed the bottom half of the stone before gently rubbing it and noticed that the cornflour was in the stone's pores and therefore 'displacing the lichen'.

Mr Daw told the show that he was 'worried' about the lichen on the monument, and said of yesterday's attack: 'I was shocked and saddened. I couldn't believe it.

'Stonehenge is so precious, not just to me but to so many people. To do this act, which I think has worked against their cause, just seems pointless and damaging.'

Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer were united in the condemnation of Just Stop Oil after the incident.

The Prime Minister described it as a 'disgraceful act of vandalism' while the Labour leader branded the group 'pathetic'.