A man has attacked Just Stop Oil activists during a protest in central London, throwing one to the ground.

Footage on social media showed the man approaching a group of campaigners as they slow marched in front of traffic in Mansell Street, near the Tower of London.

The man then begins to snatch banners out of the protesters’ hands before pushing a woman to the ground.

He also appears to grab a phone from one of the demonstrators before throwing it away and trying to push other campaigners out of the way of traffic.

The woman could be seen getting back up and moving to sit on a pavement.

In a statement, Metropolitan Police urged the public not to intervene when protesters are blocking the road.

“The Met and City of London Police are aware of an incident shown on social media in which a member of the public appears to have an altercation with Just Stop Oil protesters on Mansell Street E1 this morning, Friday May 19, shortly before the arrival of police,” a spokesperson for the force said.

“At this stage, we are not aware that any allegations have been made in regard to this matter, however, we are in contact with the organisers of the demonstration.

“We completely understand the frustration and anger of London’s communities when protesters walk slowly in the roads. We urge people not to intervene and to wait for the arrival of police, who will attend the scene promptly. We thank people for their patience.”

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A spokesperson from Just Stop Oil later defended the protests.

They said: “We understand how frustrating it can be to be disrupted, however, as of this morning 13 people are dead and 13,000 people have had to be evacuated from their homes in Italy, due to six months worth of rain falling in a day and a half.

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“A quarter of a million people are currently homeless in Somalia due to extreme flooding, despite the country experiencing its worst drought in 40 years.

“The disruption we are seeing on British streets is nothing compared to the disruption wrought if we do not stop licensing new oil, gas and coal.”

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