DOZENS of anti-oil campaigners gathered outside the High Court today to support activists fighting an attempt to obtain a “draconian” anti-protest injunction.

UK Oil and Gas (UKOG) is applying for an “unprecedented, wide-ranging” injunction against “persons unknown” and six named defendants to prevent peaceful protests at oil-drilling sites at Broadford Bridge in West Sussex and Horse Hill in Surrey.

The defendants’ lawyers have warned that granting the injunction would mean many forms of lawful protest would be “banned on a pre-emptive and blanket basis.”

Opening the case for UKOG, Tim Polli QC emphasised that his clients’ business was “in drilling, not fracking,” but conceded that many protesters “have as much concern about drilling.”

He played several videos appearing to show people climbing onto lorries transporting equipment to and from the sites or “slow-walking” in front of vehicles.

In one video, a man appears to lash out at a protester filming him, knocking his phone to the floor.

Mr Polli said: “Obviously, no one condones assault, but you saw the traffic build up — who knows where that man needed to be at?”

After another video appearing to show a lorry driver almost drive into people slow-walking in front of him, Mr Polli said: “He indicated he was late, he pointed at his watch.”

He added: “This chap is just a delivery driver and this is what he’s subjected to.”

Mr Polli also claimed that activists “are not really interested in protesting, they are interested in stopping my client’s lawful activities.”

He said UKOG was “spending very considerable sums of money now trying to fund 24-hour security” at its sites and therefore needed the injunction.

Local residents and supporters gathered outside court at lunch and were joined by Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley, who warned of the “concentrated effort going on to clamp down on peaceful protest and our democratic rights.”

Referring to recent injunctions granted to Cuadrilla to stop protests at its Preston New Road site and another stopping anti-tree felling demonstrations in Sheffield, Mr Bartley told the Star that there was a “very clear” pattern of attempts to “stifle and criminalise” peaceful protest.

Calling the growing attempts to restrict lawful protests “sinister,” Mr Bartley said a court victory for UKOG would be “a blow for the right to protest.”

The case continues.