Three Just Stop Oil supporters are on trial in a landmark case. They are the first to be prosecuted under Section 7 of the controversial new Public Order Act. The three took part in a twenty minute march, demanding the UK government commit to ending all licences and consents for new oil, gas and coal projects. [1]
Phoebe Plummer, Chiara Sarti and Daniel Hall are appearing from today before Judge Hehir at Southwark Crown Court, in a trial that is expected to last five days. The trial is the first ever for breach of Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, which covers acts ‘which prevent or significantly delay the operation of key infrastructure, including airports, railways, printing presses and oil and gas infrastructure.’ This offence carries a maximum penalty of 12 months imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
The three took action on the 15th November 2023, marching for less than twenty minutes along Cromwell Road in London. Following their arrest for peacefully marching, Phoebe Plummer was imprisoned, without trial, for 18 days, whilst Chiara Sarti was imprisoned for 19 days, without trial. [2] [3] [4]
Speaking before the proceedings Phoebe, 22, said:
“I can’t really believe this trial is even happening. I was on a march for less than 20 minutes, which I have already spent 2 1/2 weeks in prison for, and now over a week of judges, lawyers and a jury’s time has to be wasted to decide if that’s a crime.”
“Under Draconian new protest laws I stand on trial after spending under 20 minutes on a march. I’m terrified about the rapid erosion of our right to speak out about what is happening and what measures the government will take to silence people sounding the alarm bells on the climate crisis in order to protect corporate profits.”
Chiara Sarti, 24, a PhD student from Cambridge, also spoke before trial:
“We are on trial for daring to walk down a road for less than 20 minutes. They have already put us in prison over this for two weeks, using laws written by the Policy Exchange and bought for by big oil. We got to watch the lives of our friends in Uganda being sacrificed for the profits of oil barons at COP28 from the prison TV.”
In 2023 Desmog revealed that the Policy Exchange, the conservative think tank behind the controversial new laws had received donations from oil giant Exxon Mobil and other high polluting industries. [5]
Democracy has been hijacked by corporations that are destroying our communities for profit. Until leaders act to protect us, Just Stop Oil supporters will continue to take the proportional action necessary to generate political pressure. This summer airports will be declared sites of civil resistance. Sign up to take 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.
[2] https://juststopoil.org/2023/11/15/66-just-stop-oil-supporters-march-in-defiance-of-new-oil-and-gas/
[3] https://juststopoil.org/2023/11/16/we-wont-let-them-get-away-with-mass-murder-for-the-sake-of-greed/
