Just Stop Oil protesters took to the stage to interrupt a production of Les Misérables

A JUST Stop Oil (JSO) protester from Holloway who was arrested after “locking on” to the stage of a West End theatre has called on the public to ask questions about why they are demonstrating before booing them.

Speaking about the audience’s reaction to the JSO protest at the Les Misérables performance at the Sondheim Theatre two weeks ago – which saw Hanan Ameur charged with a public order offence for which she risks a fine or a prison sentence – she admitted: “They weren’t pleased.”

The performance of the long-running show about the French Revolution was cancelled after the protesters, wearing “the show can’t go on” T-shirts, locked themselves to the stage – an action made illegal the Public Order Act 2023.

The audience could be heard booing and shouting at the protesters to “get out” in footage seen by the Tribune from the night.

Ms Ameur said: “It was a little bit strange to hear the booing and the hissing and the yelling. If I was a member in the audience, I’d be like, ‘Why? I’m angry about what these people did, so I must find out why they did it’.

“And that’s what I ask of the public. OK, we may disrupt your life very briefly but the disruption to come is catastrophic in comparison.

Hanan Ameur

“So my call to the public is ask yourself why and actually deep dive into why we’re doing these things.”

Ms Ameur, 22, a student at Metropolitan University studying computer systems and robotics, called the public’s reaction to protests this week “dispiriting,” and des­cribed police as “aggressive”.

She and others, including Greta Thunberg – the world’s best-known climate change activist – had gathered outside the InterContinental Hotel in Mayfair on Tuesday to protest against an oil conference.

“I got stepped on by police. They ripped my placard. They pushed and shoved us,” she said of the event, before questioning the motives of a “smug” hotel employee who ripped off her mask and taunted the protesters.

“He probably doesn’t understand where we’re coming from, but what is he fighting for?” she asked.

“Is he fighting for his nine-to-five job? That’s disheartening – to see that people that are oppressed within the system not realising [or] I guess they realise but not wanting to do anything about it. I think that’s disheartening.”

Ms Ameur has a plea hearing next month.

She admitted she found her situation “definitely scary” and was “heartbroken” that many of her friends were facing prison time for protesting but said “standing outside with banners is not going to do anything right now,” leaving them with no choice but to break the law.

But she insisted there was hope. “There’s hope, if you join us, and there is strength in numbers – it’s a call to action. The oil companies are not backing down and neither will we.”