I am being charged with harassment of Rishi Sunak for sitting – one time only – on the pavement outside our then Prime Minister’s Kensington mansion. I held a sign which read ‘COP failure = crop failure’, days before the COP conference in November 2023. I was there for a short amount of time and moved on when asked to by the police – before being detained and arrested arbitrarily.
The trial is taking place 21st-23rd October at Stratford Magistrates Court. The verdict will show the state of British Democracy: will the judge side with the CPS, who are hell bent on criminalising anyone that stands up to power, or will they side with the people standing up to power in order to protect life?
We are facing trumped up charges because we dared to point out the failure of a corrupted billionaire Prime Minister. The CPS’ own evidence shows that we were calm, considerate and cooperative:
“PC Williams states that they are not that loud, and there are no offences. It also shows initial request for names and details….This footage will need to go on the MG6E [unused evidence] as it is undermining to the case as it shows that their behaviour was not particularly loud or disruptive for any length of time…People were told they could leave once details were given but then subsequently were told that they could not. Police actually keep the group at the location for longer than they were there initially and cause more of the mews to be obstructed as a result.”
So why is this case being pursued?
Our Criminal Justice system is prioritising the criminalisation of non-violent climate defenders for sitting on the curb outside one of our then prime ministers’ many addresses, days before COP. If this were to happen in Russia, Uganda or Iran we would be quick to point out the injustice.
We need to wake up and view our own society with fresh eyes. It’s time to question what can be done to strengthen our democracy and hold our leaders to account. We need to challenge our legal system which protects those profiting from death and criminalises those standing up against it. If we dare to look at the bigger picture we will see that we need a justice system which can press charges against the real criminals: corrupt leaders who are hell bent on continuing the production and use of oil gas and coal despite the warnings of scientists across the globe.