No more Protest

While I would die to protect JSO’s right to feel strongly about the environmental impact of the oil industry on the planet, I still feel that they got their just desserts under this sentencing.
The problem is that they’ve wilfully impeded, indiscriminately, the rights of the majority (who, for all they know, are just as concerned about climate change, but have already made their own personal efforts and sacrifices to reduce their carbon footprints) in going about their lawful business.
What they should be doing, IMO, is getting support from their like-minded peers, by running as Local Councillors, or MP’s in order that they get to a position where they CAN make a difference - at corporate, not personal level.
However, they seem to want to grab all the power (of making a change that will impact the maximum number of people) without putting in the ground-slog required to get into those positions.
This is a very lazy and “in-your-face” activity which garners scant sympathy from those who have been inconvenienced by their actions, and in some cases, at life-changing points in their own lives. By resorting to the public disruption activities, they are damaging their own cause, too.

Terrorism act 2000 and 2006 gives the definitions.

"The use or threat must also be for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, racial or ideological cause.
The specific actions included are:

• serious violence against a person;
• serious damage to property;
• endangering a person's life (other than that of the person committing the action);
• creating a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public; and
• action designed to seriously interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system.

Perhaps points 3 and 4 could be applied to JSO but then could also apply to some union organised strike action, i'm sure there are plenty who would like to see health care staff in jail too :(

No, terrorism is first and foremost psychological and it doesn't have to even result in physical bodily harm to be classed as such.

Terrorism is about perception and that begins psychologically before anything else. Nor is there a particular metric to judge your "widespread fear of bodily harm in order to be terrorism" assertion. Terrorism doesn't solely target people's bodies, but also important infrastructure.

The goal of terrorism is to coerce the Sovereign Power into doing what terrorists want by targeting the civilian population including civilian infrastructure.

You've misunderstood what terrorism is, how it operates, how they think, etc.

Having said that, I'm not personally saying Just Stop Oil is a terrorist group themselves. They're closer to extremists which isn't quite the same thing as a terrorist although there are some overlaps yet important differences.

But I can see how the layperson would certainly view Just Stop Oil as a terrorist organisation. After all, there is no one size fits all or MO of terrorist groups since they have various differences from each other whilst having various similarities.

Have you watched the video from the barrister @lightinthebox ? It explains exactly what the convictions were for and why the sentences are as they were. He also points out the misreporting which has made people get the wrong idea about the sentences.

the accused had multiple previous convictions for start. And were on bail. This results in higher sentences than would otherwise be imposed, for one thing.

The judge wasn’t “targeting” them. We are fortunate to have an independent judiciary.

I think it’s important that you educate yourself about this before making allegations of unfairness.

Laws and sentences follow what a society wants or doesn’t want. I think we actually should look at making physical protests illegal because it can be distressing to people as we’ve seen. If you want to protest you can write to your MP or go on phone ins on the radio to get your voice heard or write a letter to the newspaper

Thanks, but I'm not particularly interested in what the court decided and why. I just want to know why some people are so gleeful about it.
I don't really have an opinion on the sentence itself, not being familiar with British law.

@XChrome olease listen to the video posted above explaining the sentencing. It behoves everyone commenting to do so

Quite. But they're more interested in getting their names in the paper.
I'd go for swingeing fines myself, enough to meet the costs they incurred to others.

If they do start killing, you'll be correct to call them that.

I would like to ask a question of all the people who appear to be salivating over five years in prison.
Have you ever been to prison?
I'm wondering if it's that you just don't know the reality of prison life, or that you do and you are sadistic.
It's one thing to approve of the sentencing and quite another to be so viciously pleased about a non-violent offender getting five years.

Orange is the new black!

Saw this today. Made me chuckle

Yes, he didn’t express a view, just explained it in legal terms. Really helpful. The way it’s been reported is very misleading, and journalists should be ashamed of doing no research!

Watch the video @WishIhadnotcome

I disagree. Not aggressive actions IMO.

@GoldFrame I'm glad you found it helpful, he is fairly unbiased.

That’s really helpful @sashh Everyone should watch it no matter if they support JSO or not

This is BlackBeltBarrister explaining the judges comments.

Just stop oil are idiots. Not peaceful. They deserve to be in jail

Do you think organisers of the farmer protests that blocked motorways and streets back in February should be carted off to jail too.

Yes, they were breaking the law.

It's worth remembering the suffragette movement had a campaign of arson and bombing and killed and injured several people.
The outcome doesn't make it acceptable.

But we have done that for years, probably centuries.Conspiracy to murder can get you life in prison.

As for 9/11 it is a closer comparator than at first glance.

No JSO did not set out to murder thousands of people RIP to all of them.

But the way most people (millions probably) were effected was massive inconvenience. Flights turned around mid atlantic or diverted to Canada. US airspace closed for the best part of a week. People stranded away from loved ones. People having to be evacuated by boat from lower Manhattan. Bridges and tunnels were closed.

Don't get me wrong, those 3000 or so families who lost a loved one (or more) in that attack have unbelievable pain and I can't think of much worse than that. I am in no way trivialising their hurt.

Even they themselves have said it’s not peaceful protest and that that’s not the issue.

They see themselves as fighting a war. They say that. Not me.

A more in depth look into them reveals that they are much more sinister than I had thought.

Blocking roads is not peaceful protest. They deserve every day in prison they get. They’re a menace to society

Yes OP I agree. It's part of our steady creep towards facism and frankly it terrifies me that people are cheering it on. Just as it terrifies me that 4 million people voted reform.

Anyone who has ever wondered 'but how did the Nazis get away with it'...