Silencing those striving for a better world will not make these escalating crises disappear – doing so only serves to stifle our democracy.
Campaigners and celebrities are gathering en masse to show support for Just Stop Oil (JSO) protesters given lengthy jail terms for climate activism.
A total of 16 JSO activists will seek to overturn sentences amounting to 41 years in prison for peaceful protest in a two-day hearing at the Court of Appeal. In an unusual move, appeals for the four cases are to be joined together in a mass hearing.
Roger Hallam, the JSO co-founder and regular The Ecologist contributor, is appealing his five year sentence for attending a Zoom call to plan nonviolent disruption of the M25 in protest of the granting of new oil and gas licences.
Peaceful
He will be joined by defendants Cressida Gethin, Louise Lancaster, Daniel Shaw and Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, who each received prison sentences of four years.
A further five protesters were jailed for climbing onto gantries over the M25: George Simonson (two years), Theresa Higginson (two years), Paul Bell (22 months), Gaie Delap (20 months) and Paul Sousek (20 months).
Larch Maxey received three years for occupying tunnels dug under the road leading to the Navigator Oil Terminal in Thurrock, Essex, alongside Chris Bennett (18 months), Samuel Johnson (18 months) and Joe Howlett (15 months)
Meanwhile Phoebe Plummer received two years for throwing soup on the glass protecting Van Gogh’s Sunflowers painting, accompanied by Anna Holland, who was jailed for 20 months.
Until recently, it was virtually unheard of for peaceful protest to result in jail time. However, new laws brought in by the former government in 2022 and 2023 considerably restricted activism.
Rumours
In May 2024, Lord Walney, the then government’s ‘independent’ adviser on political violence and disruption published a report calling for members of JSO to be treated equivalent to organised crime groups.
Despite the word ‘independent’ in his title, Walney has paid roles for companies representing the fossil fuel and arms industry, such as advisor to public affairs advisors Rud Pederson, clients of which include the oil and gas giant, Glencore; and adviser to the Purpose Coalition, members of which include fossil fuel giant BP.
A spokesperson for the Home Office confirmed that Walney remains in post, but declined to comment on rumours that his post was under review.
More than 1,000 people are expected to block the Strand outside the Royal Courts of Justice with Free Political Prisoners in support of the defendants.
Silencing those striving for a better world will not make these escalating crises disappear – doing so only serves to stifle our democracy.
Freedoms
Speakers and performers across two days of protests include conservationist and TV presenter Chris Packham, comedian Mark Thomas, former Green Party MP Caroline Lucas and musician Billy Bragg.
Solidarity actions are expected outside British embassies in a number of countries, from the Netherlands to Guyana.
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have intervened on behalf of the JSO activists. They believe the appeal will set a critical legal precedent over the right to protest, which they argue breach human rights legislation. This states that sentencing must be proportionate where fundamental rights, such as the right to protest, are engaged.
Katie de Kauwe, senior lawyer at Friends of the Earth, said that non-violent civil disobedience had a ‘long and proud’ history in the UK, and that such action had been critical in winning many democratic freedoms such as the right to vote, or the repeal of homophobic legislation section 28.
Democracy
“Growing discontent is purely a symptom of the frustration felt at the lack of leadership and progress on one of the greatest challenges of our time," she said.
"Silencing those striving for a better world will not make these escalating crises disappear – doing so only serves to stifle our democracy.”
The court ruling could be announced in days, or up to two months. The appeal will be heard by Lady Justice Carr, the same judge who upheld sentences of three years and two years and seven months for JSO activists Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker.
The UN has raised serious concerns about the crackdown on peaceful protest, describing the sentences handed to activists in the UK as ‘not acceptable in a democracy’.
This Author
Catherine Early is a freelance environmental journalist and chief reporter for the Ecologist. Find her on Bluesky @catearly.bsky.social.
