A Just Stop Oil supporter remains remanded in prison after peacefully blocking the entrance to the Royal Courts of Justice. They took action to demand the UK government halt all licensing and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects, and to highlight the injustice of private injunctions. [1]
This afternoon, Callum Goode, 24, has been denied bail at Westminster Magistrates Court. Callum has been imprisoned since 6th of March for taking peaceful action to resist climate breakdown and they will likely remain remanded in HMP Wandsworth until the 16th April.
Callum took action with Tez Burns, 35, blocking the entrance to the Royal Courts of Justice. The pair took action to resist the use of civil injunctions which are being used to silence climate defenders. [2]
Speaking in court, Callum said:
“I’m being held in prison not because I present a harm to anyone or am a danger to society, but because I refuse to stop being in nonviolent civil resistance.
Why not hold me there for the rest of my life? I’m not going to stop taking action. We are in an urgent crisis and I cannot morally respect bail conditions which prevent necessary action.
I will essentially be serving, through remand, a custodial sentence for something that may not even result in a custodial sentence.
This court does not care about morality, this court is blind and complicit in the face of genocide.
I need to act on the side of life. So if you put me in prison, so be it. You will have stripped me of my power, but I know that there are other people who will fight on.”
Michel Forst, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention recently said: “I am deeply troubled at the use of civil injunctions to ban protest in certain areas, including on public roadways.” adding: “The repression that environmental activists who use peaceful civil disobedience are currently facing in Europe is a major threat to democracy and human rights.” [3]
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
“Injunctions are private laws bought by corporations and government agencies. Typically they are used to protect someone from harassment, and are intended as a remedy not a punishment, but since the Insulate Britain campaign began, they’ve been increasingly used by the State and private companies to silence dissent by climate resistors. They are being used to circumnavigate the usual rule of law, where defendants appear before a high court judge with no jury. They potentially expose defendants to ‘double jeopardy’ for the same action, where they may also be facing criminal charges. Typically injunctions result in astronomical legal costs which are applied to people named on an injunction, even if they have never broken it. Where defendants are offered an undertaking- which commits them to a certain action- and they choose to sign it, all costs are then divided equally amongst any remaining defendants. This is a divide and rule tactic being used to silence those speaking out about the criminality of politicians and business leaders.”
As the world passes tipping points that threaten the breakdown of ordered civilization, world leaders, captured by the interests of oil lobbyists and big business, are failing to protect our communities. British citizens are sick of being led by liars and crooks. Until we stop Tory oil, supporters of Just Stop Oil will continue taking proportionate action to demand necessary change. Sign up for action at juststopoil.org.
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. Just Stop Oil is a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects.
Just Stop Oil ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been, to move out of the way for emergency vehicles with siren sounding and ‘blue lights’ on.
