Last October and November, Just Stop Oil climate activists engaged in rolling stoppages of London’s busy traffic as police stood by politely. As public fury bubbled and intensified, some motorists resorted to direct action to drag and remove the protestors. The police cautioned the frustrated motorists against assaulting protestors.

On 1 May, there was a fatal encounter on a New York subway between Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old Marine veteran, and 30-year-old Jordan Neely, a homeless man whose agitated and erratic behaviour appeared threatening.