No more Protest

On the contrary, you ARE referring to the case itself! 👇

"I do think that in this case, the potential for harm is difficult to establish. The potential harm people on here are talking about is not letting ambulances get by. So if another group did the same thing, but let ambulances and other emergency vehicles through, there goes the potential."

As we can see in the Judge's Sentencing Remarks, the potential for harm was NOT difficult to establish thanks to the JSO convicts' own Zoom call evidence!

It was very much part of the evidence against JSO five.

So, the rest of your assertion there falls away.

After this, you then switch to posters in this thread. 👇

"However, something tells me they would still have been convicted and the same sadists would be getting orgasmic over a harsh sentence. They're pretending it's about ambulances when it's really about being inconvenienced."

Which is also irrelevant in light of what the Judge said about the sheer scale of the potential harm the five JSO convicts intended to cause.

It's ridiculous to focus on what posters in this thread may or may not have said when you still have access to the Judge's Sentencing Remarks!

You were still incorrect to say that you think "in this case the potential for harm is difficult to establish"!

In law, the correct decision was reached at trial regarding the five JSO convicts.

Correct decision.

Protesters do not have carte blanche to behave as they wish in furthering their cause.

Lots also probably purposefully ignoring the fact that all of them had previous convictions, and all were on bail at the time which was a contributor to the sentencing, and rightly so- this applies to anyone. They were also highly disruptive in court which shows their contempt for the law and the likliehood they'll just carry on doing as they please.

I don't think the sentences are too lengthy, I think the sentences for other crimes are often too short though.

I believe in the climate emergency, but their 'protests' aren't doing anything to help, if anything they're annoying people more and turning them away from the cause.

I'm not saying the judgement was about being inconvenienced. I'm saying the ghoulish types in this thread (who are rubbing their hands together in glee over the sentencing and wishing people abject misery) are actually more angry about the inconvenience than the potential for harm. Sadists aren't motivated by a concern for harm to others.
I'm not familiar with UK law, but unfortunately, I am familiar with sadists.

The Judge explains the potential harm the five JSO convicts planned to cause had they ultimately succeeded in their plan.

The potential harm exceeded what has been posted in this thread.

This is precisely why people shouldn't be relying on media reports when they have the option of actually reading the Judge's explanation.

Let's not minimise the case by trying to claim its about people merely being inconvenienced.

Especially as you personally admitted you're not familiar with British law.

Oh yes, they are definitely extremists. Terrorists, otoh, is a stretch.

Chris Packham and Dale Vince? Seriously?

I don't know British law, but it's safe to assume there are other areas of law in which you can be convicted based on potential for harm. For example, drunk driving and selling drugs.
I do think that in this case, the potential for harm is difficult to establish. The potential harm people on here are talking about is not letting ambulances get by. So if another group did the same thing, but let ambulances and other emergency vehicles through, there goes the potential. However, something tells me they would still have been convicted and the same sadists would be getting orgasmic over a harsh sentence. They're pretending it's about ambulances when it's really about being inconvenienced.

Again, I'm not interested in opinions of journalists. The judge has passed sentence.

FYI, people don't necessarily get hurt physically when civilian infrastructure is blown up. But it can still cause psychological distress all the same.

Like I said before, JSO are more like Extremists than Terrorists although there is some degree of overlap between the two. The Judge did assert that:

"....your fanaticism makes you entirely heedless of the rights of your fellow citizens. You have taken it upon yourselves to decide that your fellow citizens must suffer disruption and harm, and how much disruption and harm they must suffer, simply so that you may parade your views."

Both Extremists and Terrorists are fanatics who do what they do with out consultation with the people. And without a democratic mandate.

As for your final line, see attachment. They would have had a much longer sentence had they succeeded in making the situation as bad they planned to.

10 years would have been handed down instead. 👇

It's cognitive dissonance at play.

"The inconsistency between what people believe and how they behave motivates them to engage in actions that will help minimize feelings of discomfort. People attempt to relieve this tension in different ways, such as by rejecting, explaining away, or avoiding new information."

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-cognitive-dissonance-2795012

Psychological discomfort which explains the refusal to actually read the Judge's Sentencing Remarks in favour of media articles that DOESN'T reflect the whole situation.

It's all too common.

That's exactly what I was saying. It's psychological because people are in fear of, as I said, death or bodily harm. Otoh, nobody is terrorized by inconvience.
Yes, targeting infrastructure is part of it. It terrorizes people because people get hurt when buildings, bridges, or whatever, are blown up.

Cyber-terrorism, otoh, is in a different class of terrorism from physical acts which are designed to terrorize, but nonetheless is terrorism. That's about the fear of being financially wiped out or losing crucial information.
The key is fear. Do people live in genuine, reasonable fear of road blockages?

I'm actually starting to question the validity of some of the posts here tbh. They're so extreme, and so Daily Mail/GB News ish.
Some of the posts actually put a lump in my throat. The vicious, vengeful nature of them. But, maybe I shouldn't take them so seriously? 🤔

Anyway, I have to leave this thread, for the sake of my mental health. I'll leave you all to it.

Solidarity with those who feel a similar way to me on here. Glad there are a fair few of us 💚

Instead of reading media articles that does NOT present the full context of the situation, how about you read the Judge's Sentencing Remarks?

Everything is explained there.

@Whammyammy another one for you -

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/19/just-stop-oil-tactics-prison-chris-packham

So sadism then. Got it.

Their intent is very much not peaceful

If you bothered to read the Judge's Sentencing Remarks, you'd have realised this wasn't a peaceful protest at all.

Judge was very clear on that.

Additionally, the five JSO convicts "embarked on a calculated campaign to disrupt the proceedings", according to the judge. They clearly have zero respect for the law or the proceedings and wrongly thought disruption would lead to the case collapsing.

It didn't.

This is what's called FAFO.

@Whammyammy

Please read this article. I already posted it a few minutes ago, but I'll post it again for you.

www.opendemocracy.net/en/just-stop-oil-dartford-ambulance-not-delayed-m20-accident/

Peaceful? I'd hardly think blocking ambulances with patients requiring urgent medical attention peaceful. They may have been partially peaceful in their intent, but the results were far from peaceful for so many.

@Whammyammy you hope it's a miserable 5 years for them? Honestly that's just such an awful thing to say about a fellow human being, I don't know where to start. That's the kind of thing you'd expect someone to say about rapists, not peaceful climate activists. It definitely won't be as long as 5 years thankfully. Only Richard Hallam got 5 years, the others got 4. But highly unlikely they'll serve their full sentences. Thank goodness.
How about humanising them, and trying to understand?
One of the five is a doctor, a GP. One is a young woman of 22, desperate to save the future for her generation. Roger Hallam is a former farmer, who kept losing crops to the changing climate, and realised how fragile our food supplies are. I actually don't know much about the other two, but I'll do some reading.
I wouldn't personally engage in the kind of protests they have; but I will defend the rights of all our citizens to peacefully protest till my dying breath. It's such a precious thing.
I can't even start to get my head round some of the awful comments on this thread and others about this case. Heartbreaking 😔

Regardless of your opinion....the judge sent them to prison. And it's the judges decision, not yours, that is adhered to.

Regardless of your opinion on the individuals, it is utterly ridiculous for them to have been given jail time just as the new government have expressed their shock at the dire extent of overcrowding in prisons.

I also find it hypocritical that the protesters have been given jail time with weight given to the “potential” dangers of their actions, but the same isn’t applied to the potential danger of other people eg. abusive men, who can harass their victims for years but they’re told nothing can be done until they actually cause harm, by which time it’s too late.

I'm gleeful because these morons caused all sorts of major problems for people getting medical treatment (sometimes urgent), seeing family, going on holiday.... list is endless
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I hope its a miserable 5 years for them.

@TryingToSeeTheFunnySide are you having a laugh? There hearts were in the right place? In the land of grown-ups, in fact after about the age of 5, you need to recognise that how you feel about something is not the decisive factor from which everything must flow. They care deeply about climate change, but what have they actually achieved beyond making sure we all know just how deeply they think about it by inflicting deliberate suffering on innocent people.

YANBU.

I agree totally OP.

I'm utterly shocked, and also repulsed, by the vicious posts on here towards the JSO activists.

I'm not a fan of JSO either. But very clearly their hearts are in the right place. They're trying to save your children's futures!

Remember that suffragettes were despised in a similar way in their time. Hopefully most of us see them as heroines now. Please remember this.

Also, re them causing, or contributing to, loss of life - that's not clear, as this article suggests -

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/just-stop-oil-dartford-ambulance-not-delayed-m20-accident/

The climate emergency is so serious. It's already wrecking lives in the global south 😔