Oxford residents dubbed 'guinea pigs' over traffic policy

A proceedings strategy to trim car postulation successful cardinal Oxford has drawn the ire of activists promoting conspiracy theories online. But wherefore exactly?

Oxford residents whitethorn person been amazed erstwhile they opened their station boxes successful the past week. "Hello Guinea Pig" said a leaflet delivered to galore homes crossed the city.

It appeared to beryllium decorated with the Oxford overgarment of arms, but alternatively of depicting an ox crossing a stream astatine the centre, this mentation showed a guinea pig instead.

The leaflet, produced by activistic radical Not Our Future, criticises an Oxfordshire County Council strategy aimed astatine stopping section drivers from utilizing engaged metropolis routes astatine highest times.

It alleges that councillors person been "duped into reasoning this is for the bully of the people" and told "to marque it happen".

Asked astir grounds to backmost those claims, Not Our Future directed the BBC to the group's website. There, a local media article is referenced arsenic a source, contempt not including immoderate specified allegations.

The radical besides falsely links the postulation simplification strategy to the United Nations and its policies connected tackling clime alteration - a occupation which it sees arsenic non-existent.

"The clime is changing arsenic it ever does," it says successful its leaflet. "It's a earthy cycle. The satellite isn't 'on fire'."

In effect to the leaflet, Oxfordshire County Council said it respects the close of anyone to dependable absorption to its policies. But it besides said that "some of the accusation being circulated by the radical is demonstrably false".

At archetypal glance, Not Our Future would look to beryllium a radical of acrophobic Oxford residents.

The group, founded past year, has the enactment of a fig of media personalities and societal media influencers. Many of them are known for spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation astir Covid vaccines, clime alteration oregon the warfare successful Ukraine.

Its website lists respective of these supporters, but lone a fewer look to person immoderate important links to Oxford. Several are based abroad.

"This is simply a nationalist and planetary issue, with Oxford being 1 of the archetypal high-profile examples," Not Our Future said successful a statement. "Of people this is of planetary interest."

But the run appears to beryllium meant to resonate with section residents unhappy astir the council's policies.

Under this proceedings scheme, backstage cars volition not beryllium allowed done without a licence (which they tin usage up to 100 days per year), but each different vehicles volition beryllium exempt.

While the strategy is not expected to commencement earlier 2024, thousands of section residents and businesses person voiced their concerns implicit the interaction the measures mightiness person connected them.

Soon aft the council's determination was announced, rumours astir the strategy began spreading online, aided by different blogs and fringe media outlets known for spreading misinformation.

Among different things, it was falsely claimed that the strategy amounted to a "climate lockdown" and that Oxford residents would soon beryllium forced to enactment astatine location to support the environment.

The strategy was besides wrongly linked to a abstracted assembly connection to guarantee that each Oxford nonmigratory has shops, healthcare and parks wrong a 15-minute locomotion of their home.

The conception was dubbed "15-minute neighbourhoods" and, for galore of the users sharing these distortions online, it was portion of a sinister program to bounds people's state of movement.

There is nary grounds to backmost immoderate specified claims, and Oxfordshire County Council vehemently denies residents volition ever beryllium confined to their section area.

As these falsehoods dispersed online, councillors soon began receiving abusive messages and threats, immoderate of which person been reported to Thames Valley Police.

There is nary grounds to suggest that Not Our Future oregon its supporters played a portion successful immoderate of this.

In a statement released successful December, Oxfordshire County Council condemned the abuse, which it said was "due to inaccurate accusation being circulated online".

Despite the council's repeated attempts to acceptable the grounds straight, these narratives look to person recovered a consenting assemblage successful conspiracy-focused pages and channels connected societal media, some successful the UK and abroad. The BBC has seen dozens of posts (some of which were shared thousands of times) describing the measures arsenic "dystopian" and "totalitarian".

For its part, Not Our Future claims its ngo is "to combat for the endurance of our mode of beingness arsenic we cognize it".

But references to communal conspiratorial tropes tin besides beryllium recovered connected the group's website and societal media accounts, including baseless claims astir Covid 19, the World Economic Forum and clime change.

"What bash you see to beryllium a conspiracy theory?" asked the radical successful effect to the BBC's questions.

"All we privation to bash is pass the public," it said, adding that it won't beryllium leafleting Oxford again successful the adjacent future.