Veteran eco-warrior Swampy rejects Just Stop Oil tactics as he joins 'moderate alternative' group
A veteran eco-warrior who gained fame for his protests has rejected the tactics used by , claiming instead that the 'time has come to bring communities together'. Swampy, whose real name is Daniel Hooper, says that while the protesters who disrupt traffic or sporting events are 'obviously brave and passionate', he thinks real change will come from working with people from 'different walks of life'. Mr Hooper, 50, has joined the Climate Majority Project (CMP), which rejects the disruptive methods used by JSO and and instead focuses on promoting action in politics. CMP counts peer Lord Randall of Uxbridge, who was s former environment adviser, and presenter Chris Packham among its members. The group's staff of a dozen is currently working on a 'MP watch' programme that aims to hold politicians accountable, as well as various community projects. CMP also has advertising partnerships in a bid to shift consumer behaviour. The activist's criticisms of JSO come as the controversial group has launched daily traffic disruptions, interrupted the tennis tournament and tossed orange during England's second test with Australia. Mr Hooper, who became famous in the 1990s after spending a week in a tunnel in a bid to stop the expansion of the A30 in Devon, has suggested that JSO's tactics may have reached their limits. The activist, appearing on this morning, was questioned about the moment a JSO protester stormed court 18 at Wimbledon yesterday, against Australia's Daria Saville. He revealed that while he 'wouldn't do it that way', he believes that the protesters interrupting events are 'very dedicated people'. 'The type of direct action that I would do would be to hold companies accountable for causing environmental damage,' he told presenter Susanna Reid. 'That particular action isn't holding people accountable, but it's got people talking about it.' Mr Hooper believes the 'most meaningful change' has happened through direct action, but noted that he 'wouldnt have thought' to disrupt traffic or sport matches. He says the public is aware of the impacts of climate change and that groups not need a 'broad range' of people to come together and say How are we going to do this? 'Hopefully [CMP] will at least assist in doing that, and bring people in from different walks of life, including myself and, dare I say it, a Tory peer,' he told . The activist, who after his tunnel protest was dubbed the 'human mole', also slammed politicians over the 'ludicrous' laws to limit peaceful protest. He said: 'If I were in a tunnel now Id get up to three years in prison. 'I wouldnt say Id never do it again but youve got to think about how much gets stopped compared to how much you could put up with.' The 50-year-old said that at this point in his life, he wouldn't want to be jailed and miss time with his children. He did add, however, that those taking more drastic protest action are 'obviously brave and passionate'. JSO have hit a number of other sporting events in recent weeks, including yesterday at Wimbledon. The climate change activists involved in the protests inside boxes of the jigsaw puzzles, before running onto the court and scattering the contents across the grass. British No 1 Katie Boulter had her tie-break against Daria Saville disrupted - with both players helping groundstaff clear the confetti and puzzle pieces from the court before play resumed. (7-6, 6-2) to reach to the second round of the tournament after the disruption, while Grigor Dimitrov - whose match against Sho Shimabukuro was also hit by protests - cruised past his opponent 61, 62, 61. In a video shared by the eco-group of the invasion during Boulter's match, a protester named by the group as Willian John Ward, is seen jumping out of his front row seat, climbing over the cloth barrier and making a dash onto the court. Taking out a puzzle box from what appeared to be a laptop case, he is seen unzipping his coat to reveal his Just Stop Oil T-shirt, before flinging the shards of orange plastic onto the grass. The shocked players are seen standing next to security as the activist tussles with two suited security guards before being pulled off the grounds. Wimbledon said the man had been removed from the grounds before being arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage. The grounds has stopped the sale of souvenir jigsaws at the official Wimbledon Shop after the two incidents. A JSO campaigner was also by Jonny Bairstow during England's second Ashes test with Australia. Daniel Knorr, a 21-year-old biochemistry student from Oxford, Jason Bourne, a 26-year-old from Leeds, and Judit Murray, a 69-year-old grandmother from Surrey, ran onto the world's most famous cricket ground while hurling orange powder into the air. England wicketkeeper Bairstow was forced to take matters into his own hands by physically stopping Knorr and carrying him across the outfield - to cheers from the crowd. Knorr, who was arrested in April trying to with orange powder at a Coventry gallery, looked utterly delighted as a quietly determined Bairstow lugged him away before dumping him on the boundary for security to deal with. He was then dragged off by police. The student will appear alongside his two co-defendants at Westminster Magistrates' Court on July 31. The charges carry a maximum penalty of three months' imprisonment. JSO has been staging daily protests since early spring. The group has said its activists have completed up to seven marches a day, six days a week since April 24 with more than 600 people from across the UK taking part. The group claimed that there have been 227 arrests so far this year, including those detained at the Coronation and cultural and sporting events. JSO added that since its campaign launched on February 14, 2022, there have been more than 2,200 arrests and 138 people have spent time in prison. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist told LBC last week that policing the action has cost 5.5million since April, on top of the 7.5million spent policing the series of protests JSO staged between last October and December.