Press Release 23rd September 2022
Just Stop Oil supporter Barry Mitchell, who appeared in a Birmingham court yesterday has been held on remand until September 28th, and another 12 were 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]
Barry Mitchell 74 from Telford asked to wear his own clothes in court and when this was refused by the judge he stripped naked. He was removed from the dock to be judged in his absence but returned several minutes later fully clothed. He then requested legal representation, he was denied bail and has been further remanded until a repeat hearing on Wednesday 28th Sept.
The 13 Just Stop Oil supporters who appeared before Her Honour Judge Kelly at Queen Elizabeth Court in Birmingham on Thursday, 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]
Just Stop Oil supporters Marcus Bailie, Caroline Cattermole, Rev Mark Coleman, Rev Tim Hewes, Stephen Jarvis, Charles Laurie, Vivien Shah, Daniel Shaw, Arne Springorum, Rev Bill White, Edred Whittingham and Meredith Williams were given sentences of between 21 and 30 days, suspended for 2 years plus individual costs of up to £412.46.
Barry Mitchell said
My action is a response to the magnitude of the government’s inaction. We must all wake up to the climate and environmental disaster that’s already here, and try to stop it getting worse.
Vivien Shah from Leciester said
My late husband was from Pakistan, I have relatives who live there. Currently 33 million people are suffering because the country is under water due to floods. This is why we must stop new oil and gas.
Rev Mark Coleman, from Rochdale said
We are just ordinary people, nothing special, unsure of ourselves. But together we can do great things and it is clear to me that now is the time for us to say a loud NO to those who want to destroy the future with new oil and gas projects. Please join me and many others in resisting the goverrnment’s plans
The 13 were the third 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 today. [6] [7] [8]
Last week there were 56 ordinary people in prison for resisting new oil and gas projects; after three days of court appearances today 24 people remain inprison, 2 serving custodial sentences. [9]
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 Thursday 22 Sept: Marcus Bailie, William White, Arne Springorum, Tim Hewes, Charles Laurie, Mark Coleman, Caroline Cattermole, Vivian Shah, Daniel Shaw, Eldred Whittingham, Barry Mitchell, Meredith Williams and Stephen Jarvis. At Birmingham Crown Court, Queen Elizabeth II Law Courts. Address: 1 Newton Street, Birmingham, B4 7NA.
[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 Wednesday 21 Sept : Sheila Shatford,67, from Bristol, Tez Burns, 34, from Swansea, Charlotte Kirin, 52, from Bury St. Edmonds, Mary Adams, 69 from London, Mark Latimer, 71 from London, Darcy Mitchell, 45, from Devon, George Oakenfold, 77, from Bristol, Michelle Charlesworth, 55, from Oxfordshire, Anthony Whitehouse, 71, from West Yorkshire, Chloe Naldrett, 43, from Bristol, Steve Gingall, Richard Morgan, 45, an electrician from Bridgewater, Holly Exley, 34, an illustrator from Bristol, Sarah Benn, 55, a GP from West Midlands.
[8] In court Friday 23rd September: Nicholas Onley, Peter Lay, Simon Milner-Edwards, Christian Murray-Leslie, Kate Barmfitt, Michelle Cadet Rose, Janine Eagling, Julia Mercer, Victoria Lindsell, Margaret Reid, Theresa (Norton) Walker, Jade Callard
[9] 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. Chris Bennet, 31 from Bristol, who occupied one of the Essex tunnels near the Navigator oil terminal was released from HMP Chelmsford yesterday.
