The demonstration was called in reaction to news yesterday that Louis McKechnie, 21, who invaded the Formula 1 racetrack at Silverstone on July 3rd, was refused bail yesterday and has been ordered to remain in prison until his trial some time in 2023.
He has already been in prison without trial for 90 days.
Two supporters — Hannah Bright, 20, a sculpture student from Glasgow, and Orla Murphy, 21, a campaigner from Cork — threw black paint on the walls of HMP Altcourse in an act of nonviolent Civil Resistance.
🚔 They were arrested after being on a zoom call discussing nonviolent civil resistance, which a Sun journalist infiltrated.
⚖️ At last week’s trial, Judge Hehir ruled that climate issues were ‘irrelevant and inadmissible’, dismissing them as mere ‘political opinion and belief’.
🚨 BREAKING: JUST STOP OIL SUPPORTERS FOUND GUILTY OF CONSPIRACY
⚖️ The judge has promised "long, long prison sentences". They are being remanded until sentencing next Thursday.
💀 This decision comes at the same time as @UKLabour @Ed_Miliband enacts Just Stop Oil's demand.
📝 The controversial case was witnessed by UN Rapporteur Michel Forst.
❌ The 5 were arrested 9 times and remanded 7 times during the trial, which had heavy reporting restrictions.
🇬🇧 @ForstMichel said: “The imposition of such sanction is not only appalling but may also violate the United Kingdom’s obligations under international law”.
⛓️ Many of the defendants have already spent time on remand for this charge, including Daniel Shaw who was imprisoned for 113 days.
🛢 This case is the first time a prosecutor has admitted that issuing new oil and gas licences “risks catastrophic and irreversible harm”, representing a “existential threat to humanity”
🔥 2 people took action the day before Summer Solstice, demanding the incoming government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.
“The UK’s government in waiting has committed to enacting Just Stop Oil’s original demand of ‘no new oil and gas’. However, we all know this is not enough. Continuing to burn coal, oil and gas will result in the death of millions. We have to come together to defend humanity or we risk everything. That’s why Just Stop Oil is demanding that our next government sign up to a legally binding treaty to phase out fossil fuels by 2030.
Failure to commit to defending our communities will mean Just Stop Oil supporters, along with citizens from Austria, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and Switzerland will join in resistance this summer, if their own Governments do not take meaningful action. Stone circles can be found in every part of Europe showing how we’ve always cooperated across vast distances – we’re building on that legacy.”
🦺 Cressie gave her defence statement to the jury today at Isleworth Crown Court, before @ChrisGPackham was called as a witness.
🧵 Thread of her statement.
📷 Photo credit: Denise Baker
On 20th July 2022, I climbed up onto a gantry over the M25. I hung up two banners – one said “Just Stop Oil” (the campaign in whose name I was taking action) and the other said “40 Degrees” (this was a day after the 40C heatwave scorched the UK, burnt down houses and left people dead).
The prosecution have said that my intention was clearly to stop the traffic. However, it is under oath that I say I was not expecting the police to close the entire motorway. I thought it was possible they may decide to close one or two lanes, or perhaps slow the speed of the traffic, but I was very surprised when they closed the whole thing. I was surprised because I was conducting a nonviolent, peaceful protest, the intention of which was to gain media attention and create public pressure on the government to stop new oil and gas.
The Chairman of the @Conservatives is tweeting lies about protesters being glued to The Cenotaph.
The reality is that they were dragged off the road and arrested by police for protesting in the street, under legislation his corrupt party introduced.
@Conservatives They were marching, peacefully, along Whitehall to Parliament Square. But that's not stopped @LeeAndersonMP_ from quite literally politicising the Cenotaph and war dead. We are disgusted and appalled.
We need everyone to stand up to this madness. We are holding a public march on the 18th of November. All are welcome.
This was previously planned to be non-arrestable, but we can now no longer guarantee safety from arrest.
🚨 BREAKING: Just Stop Oil begin actions on Monday, 30th Oct. This is our message to @metpoliceuk chief, Sir Mark Rowley:
Until you prosecute the criminals responsible for crimes against humanity and acts of genocide, Just Stop Oil supporters will remain in civil resistance.
The facts are clear. New oil and gas licensing in 2023 will kill hundreds of millions of people, adding to the already mounting global death toll from climate breakdown. To know these facts and still encourage drilling for UK new oil and gas is reckless and immoral.
The politicians planning to max out the UK’s oil and gas reserves are not directly seeking mass death—the primary aim of their support for fossil fuels is profit and power. To them, it’s an inconvenient side effect that millions and eventually billions of people will die.