High sentences for UK climate activists spark widespread criticism

Sentences of four and five years in prison were handed down to five people who organized climate protests in the United Kingdom. The court considered climate issues to be "political opinions and beliefs."

Daniel Shaw, Louise Lancaster, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, and Cressida Gethin were sentenced on July 18 to four years in prison. The court found them guilty of organizing protests on the M25 highway in the United Kingdom. The fifth defendant, Roger Hallam, was sentenced to five years by a judge who ruled that the man "sat at the highest level of the conspiracy."

In November 2022, 45 protesters from Just Stop Oil climbed gantries on the highway, forcing the police to stop traffic. The protesters wanted disruption of traffic in southern England to draw attention to the demands for a move away from fossil fuels, the use of which deepens the climate crisis. The youngest convicted activist, Cressida Gethin, is 22 years old. Roger Hallam, co-founder of Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, is 58 years old.

Prosecutors stated that 45 people blocked the highway for over 120 hours, impacting 700,000 drivers. Police actions cost £1.1 million (CA$1.9 million), and the economic losses incurred by people stuck in traffic were estimated at £765,000 (about CA$1.3 million). Representing herself in court, Lancaster emphasized that the effects of climate change mean we are at a "dangerous and critical point in human history." She added that "all other means of democratic persuasion have failed."

According to euronews.com, Judge Christopher Hehir ruled that climate issues were "irrelevant and inadmissible as evidence," dismissing them as "political opinions and beliefs." The jury was instructed to ignore any evidence regarding the climate crisis and prevented from considering whether it constituted a "justifiable excuse" under the law. This approach resembles the scenario of the 2021 film Don't Look Up. The movie is, in fact, a metaphor for the attitude of many people toward the impending climate disaster.

Many organizations dealing with climate issues criticize high sentences for the activists. Michel Forst, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders, joined the chorus of voices condemning the sentences in prison for planning peaceful protests. Forst stated, "Long, multi-year sentences handed down to Just Stop Oil activists are unacceptable in a democracy."

On July 19, public opinion in the United Kingdom was also surveyed regarding the activists' sentences. An online survey conducted for Social Change Lab, a non-profit organization researching protests and social movements, found that 61% of respondents agreed that the sentences handed down to the five protesters were "too harsh." Meanwhile, 12% of those surveyed believed the sentences were too lenient.