Of all my blog posts, I don’t think that any has had the topical immediacy of today’s. Yet again, I am moved to write about the ongoing test series between England and Australia, but sadly, for the wrong reason.

This morning, those who care about such things were excited by the resumption of hostilities after the thrilling finale of the first test. Would the Australians consolidate their grip on the ashes, or would the English enjoy a rare victory against the “old enemy” at Lord’s? Those who consider cricket history might well have been wondering which players on either side would have their names engraved on one of the honours boards after the conclusion of the match, or whether a streaker would enliven a somnolent passage of play, as happened in 1975.

The incident of the streaker did provide some humour. The exhibitionist in question was a merchant seaman who claimed he had done the deed for a bet. For those of you who don’t know, he ran onto the field, hurdled the stumps, and was then, to quote the legendary cricket commentator, John Arlott, “embraced by a blonde policeman”. This in turn inspired a listener to the BBC’s Test Match Special to compose a limerick.

“He ran on in his birthday attire,

And set all the ladies afire.

When he came to the stumps,

He misjudged his jumps,

Now he sings in the Luton Girls Choir.”

This morning’s incident, however, was not so humorous. Two men and a woman, wearing Just Stop Oil t-shirts ran from the grandstand onto the field, with the intention of making a mess with that organisation’s trademark orange powder. The woman was apprehended before getting onto the field. The England captain, Ben Stokes, and the Australian opening batsman, David Warner, intercepted one of the hooligans, and handed him to security staff. The other ne’er-do-well was halted by the England wicket keeper, Jonny Bairstow, who carried him to the boundary before the police took over. Play was unable to resume for a further six minutes while ground staff swept up the orange powder, and Bairstow, whose whites were covered in the stuff, went to change

Thankfully, no harm came to anyone. That said, these ridiculous stunts are harming the cause those who perform them claim to support.

In April, the world snooker championship was disrupted, as was the final of the rugby union premiership last month. Just Stop Oil protesters have blocked roads, thus preventing people from getting to work, taking their children to school, and unforgivably, stopping people getting to hospital appointments. These bullying tactics have been learnt from their cousins Extinction Rebellion. Although the latter group seems to be having a rethink.

Their defenders liken them to the suffragettes. They argue that taking direct action was what gave women the vote. This is incorrect. Doing the work of men, while the men were away fighting the first world war, did more to persuade opponents of women’s suffrage such as David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill to change their minds than all of the direct action.

But far from making the populous join them in demanding immediate change, it is alienating people. During a cost of living crisis, no-one wants to be prevented from earning a living. It’s bad enough that the pandemic and industrial action have played merry hell with children’s education, without the mob doing its bit. And hospital appointments are rarer than unicorns, so nobody should be wilfully delayed in the attempt to make use of them. Equally, given the expense nowadays of attending sporting fixtures, it is unfair to disrupt people’s pleasure.

Engaging with governments and big business would be a far more productive way of getting what they want. Holding up traffic – an eccentric way of bringing about a reduction in the consumption of fossil fuels – throwing tomato soup over priceless works of art, screaming at the King – a man who has done more than most to raise awareness of the climate emergency – and creating disturbances at sporting events are at best stupid. Punishments should be severe.

The freedom to peacefully protest is a wonderful thing, and it is right that such a freedom is enshrined in law. But freedom to protest does not mean freedom to prevent others going about their business. Just Stop Oil should, quite frankly, just stop.