Chris Packham, the BBC presenter, RSPB Vice President and eco-activist, has been labelled 'hugely irresponsible' by Scotland Yard detective Peter Bleksley after making comments to the Radio Times that it was very likely that oil refineries would be blown up by activists in the future.
The presenter, who has made documentary Chris Packham: Is It Time to Break the Law? for Channel 4, added: “At the moment, no one is blowing up an oil refinery, but a lot of people think that is very likely to happen.”
The Scotland Yard detective said: “Packham suggests it might be OK to blow up an oil refinery, which would invariably lead to a loss of human lives. He is inching towards committing an offence of incitement."
Talking about Just Stop Oil, Packham has said in his youth he would have no doubt joined the group behind disruptive road blocks and sport arena invasions.
Packham has regularly courted controversy for his extremist views towards campaigning. In 2021 he threatened to superglue the PM's spokeswoman to a motorway.
Last month police announced they were investigating the presenter after he was filmed sniffing goshawk chicks, which could be considered a disturbance of a protected species. The crime is punishable by up to six months in prison.