Two Just Stop Oil supporters have been found not guilty of causing criminal damage at Southwark Crown Court today, following a three-day jury trial presided over by Judge Griffith. [1]
On 1 July 2023, Arthur Clifton, 22, and Guido Wieser, 19, sprayed black and pink paint over the Coca-Cola float during the Pride march in London. [2][3]
In court, the judge ruled that no legal defences would be left to the jury. He withdrew the statutory ‘lawful excuse’ defence, stating that the prosecution’s evidence of four-figure remediation meant the damage could not be treated as trivial and that Articles 10 and 11 would not be considered as a basis for lawful excuse. The jury were not directed to assess proportionality or whether the harm was minor, and were limited to deciding only whether damage occurred and whether the defendants intended it or were reckless.
At the time of the action, Peter Tatchell (he/him), the veteran LGBTQ+ rights campaigner and prominent member of the Gay Liberation Front and the civil resistance group OutRage!, said:
“I helped organise the first Pride in the UK in 1972 and have attended every Pride London march since then. Pride was always meant to be both a celebration and a protest. From the outset, we stood in solidarity with other struggles for freedom and social justice, against corporate pinkwashing and all forms of exploitation. We saw queer liberation as just one aspect of a wider liberation movement.”
“Climate destruction is destroying communities, jobs, homes and lives across the world, especially in poorer countries. Fossil fuels are endangering the survival of humanity – including LGBTQ+ people. Our community must not collude with environment, species and climate destroying companies.”
Before the trial Arthur Clifton, 24, said:
“Multi-million pound corporations like Coca Cola are wholesale destroying my generation’s future. To then use Pride and Queer liberation to try and hide this is beyond evil. As long as the government keeps siding with world-ending businesses we all need to step up and act.”
In 2024 Just Stop Oil successfully won its original demand of ‘no new oil and gas’ and on March 27th 2025 announced an end to the campaign of action. However, our supporters will continue to tell the truth in court, to speak out for our political prisoners and to help build what comes next.
ENDS
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Notes to Editors
[1] Just Stop Oil is a member of the A22 Network of civil resistance projects.
April 26th 2025 was the last Just Stop Oil action, but our supporters will continue to tell the truth in the courts, speak out for our political prisoners, and call out the UK’s oppressive anti-protest laws.
Just Stop Oil continues to rely on small donations from the public to make this happen.
[2] https://juststopoil.org/2023/07/01/lgbtq-supporters-of-just-stop-oil-disrupt-london-pride/