Thread by @ScientistsX

🚨Breaking - NOT Guilty ! 🚨

Four members of Scientists for Extinction Rebellion vindicated by Crown Court following appeal.🧵

2/ The defendants were part of a group of scientists who took part in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy to highlight the danger posed by new oil & gas exploration

3/ The outcome of this appeal highlights once again the inconsistencies of the legal system. The five other scientists who took part in the same action at BEIS were separately tried in October, and were found to have no case to answer.

https://twitter.com/BindmansLLP/status/1584610078962946059

4/ Judge Rimmer, as he dismissed today's case and found all four defendants not guilty, concluded that it is clear “the protestors held heartfelt and real concerns about climate change and these are very important issues”

5/ While our judicial system is crumbling due to lack of funding, our government prioritises prosecuting peaceful climate protestors over the climate criminals, and is hell bent on yet more legislation to curb protests in alarming and repressive ways!

time.com/6241372/uk-pub…

6/ @ProfColinDavis - "The true criminals are the fossil fuel companies that are destroying our climate in their ruthless drive to maximize profits, and the governments, including our own, that aid and abet this vandalism on a global scale."

7/ @petek_a - “Today, the courts have championed protecting life and peaceful protest over prosecuting chalk spray on a window”

8/ Dr. Emily Cox - "Of course I'm pleased that we were finally acquitted for this charge. However, I'm also frustrated at the shocking waste of everyone's time. This process has taken up five days of court time prosecuting peaceful protesters exercising their rights."

9/ Ecologist Ben Benatt - “The UK government’s push 'full steam ahead' in licensing murderous exploitation of new fossil fuel reserves whilst criminalising trivial damage caused by peaceful protestors is disgraceful and must be challenged."

10/ You can read more details about the science behind the action at BEIS last April here:

https://twitter.com/ScientistsX/status/1516720231158321155

11/ The facts of the crisis are clear. We stand in solidarity with climate activists who have been gagged from mentioning the science of the climate emergency in court in recent weeks, and who have bravely spoken the truth regardless!

theguardian.com/environment/20…

The stakes could not be higher.

That's why we will be back on the streets to surround the Houses of Parliament on April the 21st with @XRebellionUK for "The Big One"!

It is time to #UnitetoSurvive

Join us!

extinctionrebellion.uk/the-big-one/