UK Appeal Court to Rule on Jail Terms for Climate Activists
AFP/APP
London: Sixteen British climate activists, jailed for their high-profile protests, will find out on Friday whether they have won an appeal against their lengthy sentences.
In January, lawyer Danny Friedman argued at London’s Court of Appeal that the prison terms—ranging from 15 months to five years for separate protests—were the highest of their kind in modern British history. Friedman stated that the activists were acting out of “sacrifice” for the “best interests of the public, the planet, and future generations,” and called for their sentences to be reduced.
However, prosecutors contended that the sentences were justified, claiming that the activists’ actions went “so far beyond what was reasonable” and presented an “extreme danger” to the public and themselves.
The ruling will be delivered by Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr at the Court of Appeal in London at 10:00 GMT on Friday, a decision that could set a significant precedent for future protests in the UK. The case is being closely watched amid growing concerns that peaceful protest rights may be undermined in Britain.
Environmental activist groups Just Stop Oil (JSO) and Extinction Rebellion have organized disruptive protests in recent years to challenge fossil fuel use, which is linked to global warming and climate change. Just Stop Oil, which calls for a ban on fossil fuel use by 2030, has made headlines with high-profile stunts at museums, sports events, and shows, though it has faced significant backlash over its tactics.
Among the 16 activists appealing their sentences are those who threw tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” painting at London’s National Gallery. They are seeking to reduce or quash their prison terms.
Environmental organizations like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have supported the appeal, stressing the “critically important” issue of the right to protest. Other legal cases involving Just Stop Oil activists are still ongoing, including charges against two members accused of throwing orange paint powder on Stonehenge’s megaliths and two activists charged with spray-painting the tomb of naturalist Charles Darwin in Westminster Abbey.
The activists’ actions have been met with criticism from politicians, police, and sections of the public. In July, five of the 16 appealed activists were shocked when they were sentenced to up to five years in prison for planning to block the M25 motorway, a vital transport route for London.
Among them was Roger Hallam, 58, a co-founder of JSO and Extinction Rebellion. Judge Christopher Hehir described the activists as having crossed the line “from concerned campaigners to fanatics.”
The previous Conservative government in the UK took a tough stance on disruptive protests, enacting laws to impose harsher punishments for such actions.
