A PROTESER tied his NECK to the goalpost with cable ties and needed a pair of bolt cutters to be set free.
The incident at Goodison Park took an even more bizarre turn when another fan from the crowd ran on the pitch and tried to attack the man.
The long-haired man, wearing a red T-shirt that had the words ‘Just Stop Oil’ printed on it, ran onto the pitch early in the second half of Everton’s Premier League clash with Newcastle.
And referee Craig Pawson halted play as an army of stewards, police and safety officers came on to get the man off the pitch.
However, it took a while to get him released due to his precarious situation.
And when he was finally was, with the giant tools, he slumped to his knees on the goal line and refused to budge.
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Everton fans voiced their anger and two even tried to run on and attack him.
Stewards eventually carried the protestor away – with someone throwing a bottle of drink at him – and the match restarted after a lengthy delay.
Twitter account Just Stop Oil claimed responsibility for the stunt.
They wrote: “Today, a young supporter of Just Stop Oil ran onto the pitch during the Everton vs Newcastle United game to draw attention to the group’s demand that the Government must end all new fossil fuel supply projects.
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“Louis, 21, locked on to the goalpost at Goodison Park wearing a Just Stop Oil t-shirt, causing the referee to briefly stop play.”
Louis is claimed to have said: “It’s 2022 and it’s time to look up, time to step up and not stand by. It’s time to act like it’s an emergency.
“Report after report is telling me that my future is going to be dire, and my government is telling me not to worry and pay into a pension.
“But we have a choice. We can choose to highlight that our climate is breaking down, we can choose to resist this government that is betraying us, we can choose to step up and not stand by.”
The bizarre incident, as well as a red card for Everton midfielder Allan, led to 17 MINUTES of stoppage time being played.
Despite being a man down, the Toffees took advantage of that extra time on the clock, with Alex Iwobi scoring in the 99th minute to make it 1-0.
That proved to be the only goal of the game to give Everton a vital win – their first in five matches – and some breathing space ahead of the teams in the relegation zone.
The same group also claimed they were behind the brief stoppage at the Emirates on Wednesday night when a trespasser tied himself to Alisson’s post and sat on the turf.
That incident saw the spectator jump the hoardings on the hour mark, again wearing a T-shirt with a written message, before being quickly removed.
A steward then pinned him down with a knee on his back behind the goal as he waited for back-up as play resumed.