Arresting peaceful protesters is 'just not British', Just Stop Oil say after two activists jailed

28 September 2024, 13:25 | Updated: 28 September 2024, 13:28

Three Just Stop Oil activists were arrested yesterday after throwing soup over two Van Gogh paintings.

Up until a few short years ago, it was understood, you do not imprison people for peaceful protest in this country, no matter how disruptive. It's just not British.

Yet in the last few months, just shy of 50 brave, conscientious people have been sent to prison, for taking nonviolent action in defence of life.

Some have been sentenced to years behind bars, following sham trials in which they've been banned from presenting their defence to the jury. Or even an explanation for their actions.

Others have been sent to prison on remand, despite having been convicted of no crime, and posing no risk of flight nor danger to the public.

How on Earth has it come to this?

Nonviolent civil disobedience works. It brought the climate crisis to the forefront of the public's mind. Parliament declared a Climate Emergency. The Government set a legally binding net zero target. Other countries followed. The oil companies’ profits were under threat. So the empire struck back.

A massive PR campaign in the mainstream media poisoned the public's minds against activists. Oil-funded think-tank Policy Exchange wrote repressive anti-protest legislation, which the obsequious Tory government turned into law.

Now people are being sent to prison for things which until recently would not have warranted even a small fine. Like walking in the road for 15 minutes. Because arms companies, profiting from the wholesale slaughter of innocent civilians in Gaza, and oil companies, profiting from the Sixth Mass Extinction, have willed it so.

Repression of protest, silencing of people in court, the predetermination of their guilt by judges and the extraordinary number and length of prison sentences - these things threaten our democracy. We are sleepwalking into totalitarianism, just as we are sleepwalking into extinction.

It is essential that this not be allowed to happen. And so we resist.

Today, outside Southwark Crown Court, we staged the first in a series of public exhibitions of political prisoners, past and present. And we held it in the road, in defiance of the harsh new anti-protest laws.

The response of the establishment? To send two more of our number to prison, for courageously acting in defence of life.

Next month, we will take our exhibition to the Attorney General's doorstep at the Ministry of Justice. And we are calling upon him to meet with us, to discuss how we can fix this truly terrible situation, while there is still time. Because it is essential that we stop the slide into authoritarianism.

Before it is too late.

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