Five Just Stop Oil supporters who appeared in a Birmingham court today walked free after being given suspended sentences for sitting peacefully outside the Kingsbury Oil Terminal to demand an end to new oil and gas projects in the UK. [1][2]
The Just Stop Oil supporters who appeared before Her Honour Judge Kelly at Queen Elizabeth Court in Birmingham on Friday morning, were accused of breaking the North Warwickshire injunction on 14th September. The private injunction has been designed to help the state protect the profits of the oil industry by effectively outlawing any protest activity near the Kingsbury Oil Terminal. [3] [4]
Theresa Norton, Janine Eagling, Julia Mercer, Kate Bramfitt and Jade Calland were sentenced to between 19- 24 days suspended for 2 years and ordered to pay costs of £426.
The cases against Just Stop Oil supporters Mary Adams, Sheila Shatford, Simon Milner-Edwards, Margaret Reid, Nicholas Onley, Peter Lay, Christian Murray-Leslie, Michelle Cadet Rose and Victoria Lindsell are due to be heard Friday afternoon.
Theresa Norton,63 , a local councillor and carer from Scarborough said:
I absolutely cannot take any more of a government trying to claw its way out of one crisis after another simply by doing more of the same. Our newly unelected PM is set to approve 130 new licences for oil and gas drilling, which is a death sentence for the young people of this country. I am just a normal, everyday citizen but I am in active resistance against a government that has broken its social contract, to look after our health and our interests.
I cannot comply with a system that is actively seeking to destroy lives for profit. Much of my life the last 3 years has been spent in public service: as a local councillor, as a volunteer at the food bank and also the community free fridge. It is in my nature to try and help people and that is why I am in active resistance.
Janine Eagling, 61, a bike instructor from London said:
“Thousands are dying in Pakistan, India and the Horn of Africa from flood, heat and drought. These people have not contributed to global heating, nor have our young people. 130 new oil licenses is a sign from the UK government that they do not care. Enough is enough.
Giving Pakistan a few million pounds in aid to cope with their apocalyptic floods is like treating a poisoned patient with a single teaspoon of antidote while still administering a pint of poison DAILY. Even the International Energy Agency says there should be no new oil and gas. It’s a no brainer!
The time is now. If our leaders will not deal with the climate emergency, then ordinary citizens must. Join us in October on the streets of London. We must work together against the vested interests and those that will see us without food and water in the frighteningly near future.
The 12 appearing today are the fourth group to appear in court from among 51 Just Stop Oil supporters remanded to prison last Friday after they had refused to comply with court proceedings and informed the court that they would break the injunction again. A further group of Just Stop Oil supporters will appear in the Birmingham court on Monday. [6] [7]
Last week there were 56 ordinary people in prison for resisting new oil and gas projects; after four days of court appearances 37 have so far been freed leaving 17 awaiting trial and 2 serving custodial sentences. [8]
Since April 1st, when supporters of Just Stop Oil first began blocking oil terminals, there have been over 1350 arrests.
As the government doubles down on fossil fuel energy by “ramping up supply” and breaks its manifesto commitment on fracking, Just Stop Oil supporters will continue to take nonviolent direct action to demand an end to this genocidal death project. We accept the consequences of our actions and we don’t need you to feel sorry for us, we need you to step up and join us.
This is the moment to come together and resist the genocidal death project. We are not prepared to just watch while everything we love is destroyed. We’re done with begging. We are going to stop new oil whether those in power agree or not. As citizens, as humans, as parents and children we have every right under British law to protect ourselves and those we love. This is the moment, we are the last generation that can solve this. Will you step up and join us? If we all come together we can do this. We can Just Stop Oil. Join us from October 1st in Westminster.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Just Stop Oil is a coalition of groups working together to demand that the government immediately halt all future licensing and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK. More information here: https://juststopoil.org/
[2] https://juststopoil.org/2022/09/14/50-just-stop-oil-supporters-breach-the-warwickshire-injunction/
[3] In court Friday 23rd September: Nicholas Onley, Peter Lay, Simon Milner-Edwards, Christian Murray-Leslie, Kate Bramfitt, Michelle Cadet Rose, Janine Eagling, Julia Mercer, Victoria Lindsell, Margaret Reid, Theresa (Norton) Walker, Jade Callard
[4] The charge of contempt of court relates to breach of the North Warwickshire injunction. https://www.northwarks.gov.uk/downloads/file/9139/injunction_order
[5] https://juststopoil.org/2022/05/18/civil-resistance-in-prison-continued/
[6] In court Thursday 22 Sept: Marcus Bailie, William White, Arne Springorum, Tim Hewes, Charles Laurie, Mark Coleman, Caroline Cattermole, Vivian Shah, Daniel Shaw, Edred Whittingham, Barry Mitchell, Meredith Williams and Stephen Jarvis. At Birmingham Crown Court, Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts. Address: 1 Newton Street, Birmingham, B4 7NA.
[8] In addition to those in prison and on remand in connection with breaches of the Kingsbury injunction there are a number of people still being held without trial for taking action with Just Stop Oil: Joshua Smith, 29 from Manchester and Louis McKechnie, 21 from Weymouth, who have been on remand since July 7th and are expected to face trial in February 2023 and Xavier Gonzalez-Trimmer, who occupied one of the Essex tunnels near the Navigator oil terminal.
