To think the judge was right to throw the book at Just Stop Oil?

[StripedPiggy]

Five Just Stop Oil activists, including leader & XR founder Roger Hallam have been sentenced to up to 5 years in jail for blocking the M25 & other main roads.
Their intention was to cause gridlock on roads in the South East. The disruption they caused resulted in people missing medical appointments, flights & business meetings.

Well done to that judge. The criminal justice system is right to pass serious sentences on these fanatics which will act as a strong deterrent to others who might try to cause mass disruption, and put people’s lives in danger, to further a political agenda, whatever it might be.

All the hours of delay caused by multiple roadworks, that's ok somehow?

Any stats?

Yes! Lock em up with the paedos - they can all be vile and disgusting together

How do you 'lobby' MPs?

MPs are regularly being informed on the science of climate change, but they aren't listening.

I'd love to know the actual stats.

And if people couldn't get to work so didn't get paid - that's an issue with their employer and/or zero hour contracts - why not use your self righteous anger on them?

Their mistake was to announce that they would be targeting airports. These sentences are a direct result of that.

Garlicnaan

To all critics, please tell us how climate activists can 1. Get their cause into the headlines and 2. Get the attention of decision makers and try to get them to understand the severity of the issue

Educate rather than antagonise. It's pretty fucking simple.

No one is going to listen to them or take them seriously while they are doing what they are doing. They only make themselves look stupid and entitled.

I wish you all paid more attention.
These sentences are NOT for blocking traffic.
They've been found guilty of CONSPIRING to block traffic (i.e. talking about doing it).
I can't believe that so many of you think a 4 or 5 year sentence is a proportionate response to this, when so many other people get much smaller and non-custodiial sentences for causing a lot more actual harm, including sexual assault, child sex abuse etc.

And although I have very little time for Hallam (having known of him for decades and met him several times) I don't think it's fair to repeatedly call him a hypocrite because a tabloid newspaper has visited his farm and found 5 (diesel) vehicles parked there.
Even the report admits that they don't know if these vehicles belong to him! It's a farm. In a rural area. with no public transport. And lots of people are involved in working on it. It's hardly surprising that there's more than one car there on a regular basis.

And it could be argued that it's more environmentally friendly to continue using a diesel car - and being mindful about sharing rides, minimising miles, driving in a fuel-efficient way etc - than buying a brand new electric vehicle (with all that embedded energy plus the issue of sourcing lithium for batteries, and the electricity potentially coming from non-sustainable sources)

And child abuse as well as a few equally horrid crimes. But we all know the economy is more important than vulnerable victims

Yes absolutely he was right . They are a total menace and if anything put people off their ' cause '

Well said.

I am not usually a conspiracy theorist but the way the media is stoking anger towards these people (that even the JUDGE admitted had a perfectly valid point about climate change!) surely has to make you wonder who benefits from having a population too frightened to protest about the reliance on oil.

Have you been inconvenienced by them in any way?

But it wasn't a 'minor traffic jam inconvenience'. It was a heartless disruption that caused extreme stress and danger to innocent people. I wish they would learn to disrupt in a way that affects those in power to make better choices. They do seem so immature. I know people involved with them, and they are all extremely rich playing at being radical types who never have to cross a city to get to a MW job to earn enough to keep their families alive. They are all trustafarian socialists. I despair of them as political campaigners.

That's a very good point.

They should have sentences based on their beliefs i.e. no oil and a low carbon existence.

No heat, no light, no cooked food, food can be refrigerated so they won't become ill but should live as they preach to others.

The prison system is overcrowded and expensive. They'd be better with five years community service ( perhaps mending potholes)

Aye its all shits n giggles until YOUR loved one dies because some smelly trustafarian hippy who drives Chelsea tractor has glues themselves to the motorway so the ambulance cant get through

nope. I don't think anyone has said that the JSO protestors shouldn't be punished when they break the law.

What most of us ARE saying is that there is a crass double standard in sentencing, and that when people who were planning, not executing, a disruption get 5 years - why are paedophiles and violent men (mostly who have abused women) not also getting 5 years? THAT is the big story here, no matter how pro or anti JSO anyone is.

look at the attached tweet. Transcript for those who can't read it (my bold):

>>Yesterday, a man who threatened to kill a woman, punched and slashed her with a knife repeatedly got a suspended prison sentence.

Judge cited prisons being full & 3 years of court delays as part of reason for not sending to jail.

The last government's legacy in criminal justice<<

make it make sense, please.

Some people might think they are not only trying to keep their families alive, but yours too.

There is no doubt in mind that they will come out of this on the right side of history.

The jail sentences are disgusting.

For those of you asking how JSO are going to get anyone to listen without these tactics, well, Greta Thunberg managed to do rather well at getting environmental concerns front and centre without breaking windows or blocking roads. She's met with more people in a position to really make a change than any XR members have. It is possible. There ARE other ways of doing it.
I know JSO aren't interested in 'winning hearts and minds' but I don't see that they are winning much else either. I think they are playing right into the hands of the establishment, to be honest, by unintentionally making the headlines about THEM and their actions, NOT the very important cause.
No, I don't think they should have been jailed for 5 years. But I do think the fact they have been shows their tactics aren't working in the way they intend. Thunberg's tactics got her in front of the most powerful people in the world. JSO's tactics got them in front of a judge. Whose actions will have more long term impact?
Yes, we can still legally peacefully protest in this country, as anyone who took part in the recent pro-Palestinian rallies and managed not to get arrested will tell you. Thousands of people are out there protesting and not getting arrested. You get arrested when you commit an illegal act whilst demonstrating.
People power can do amazing things. Look at the poll tax protests (which did, to be fair, result in arrests for criminal acts within the protest). But whilst 'winning hearts and minds' may not be the goal of JSO, it should be part of it. We have seen enough comments on this thread alone to see how JSO have given people an excuse not to listen. That in turn gives the powers that be an excuse not to listen.

I'm glad they have finally started to receive a punishment for their actions. These predominantly middle class privileged wankers, could use their money and positions to try and encourage real change, but instead disrupt the day of thousands of average people. You're not teaching me anything, I'm never going to listen to or support your cause. Finally fuck around and find out has the right consequence. I look forward to May, many more overprivileged arseholes losing their right to travel and gaining a criminal record for disrupting thousands of lives- as they all should

Whilst at the same time gaining supporters

Is it not a privilege to own a car?

except the paedos aren't being locked up, are they?

pp said this

Why should a very small group of people be allowed to inflict this on so many? Why are they so selfish and conceited to think that everyone will get behind them and support their cause?

Hmm. I wonder if there is another very small group of people inflicting things on so many, who are also not exactly quiet and peaceful, even violent, who should be arrested and the key thrown away? CAN ANYONE THINK OF ONE?

So this, for me is the major issue, not the conviction for an illegal act (although in this particular JSO case i am not sure the trial was fair). What IS an issue for me is the way the police behave towards certain groups but not others. Low hanging fruit is too tempting for the average plod, and that is why women get arrested for ribbons, but men armed with baseball bats beating the mother of their child don't.

Did you go on the poll tax marches! 🤔

Police with riot gear and batons cheerfully laying into students plus lots of arrests!