No more Protest

[lightinthebox]

Regardless of your views of Just Stop Oil, we should all be worried.

This has gone through easily because people hate Just Stop Oil, it’s an easy target and has fooled people.

We should not be celebrating lengthy jail sentences for planning protests, we should be scared about what this means.

Not just that, but if peaceful protests equal a jail sentence then what’s to stop people from going to violence if they know they can’t protest.

People should stop and think, ignore your prejudice and see the bigger picture.

It's being considered to fall under 'terrorism'

Prison is appropriate place for them too.

People find it very hard to see the bigger picture

I agree with you. 5 years is utterly ridiculous. I don't totally support what they did.

The justification for the sentence seems to be the potential deaths that could have occurred because of their actions. But what about the doctors' strike? The deaths that could have and may have occurred because of the doctor's strike.

I mean, what did they actually achieve?

They caused so much misery. Hope they have 5 long miserable years in jail.

They don't just cause misery

History will absolve them.

I appreciate their view and what they're trying to say, but JSO are going about it the wrong way and alienating people to their cause. They're not very bright

Maybe next time they'll plan protests that don't block ambulances.

When they get out of jail, that is.

In the short time history has left.

It was in no way peaceful protests it was a bunch of toddlers throwing their toys onto the floor and causing chaos

Exactly.

Amazing how many mothers are happy to let the world burn.

Which will be too soon. The police should have the power to physically remove them with no comeback. What happened to Boris Johnson's water canon that May wouldn't let him use in London? They'd be useful, especially in winter.

So, so foolish.

Blocking ambulances is not a peaceful form of protest.

So, so foolish.

A bit like the antics of the former JSO

Perhaps so: personally I'm cross they are hogging court time in the guise of being martyrs - very self regarding.

They need to find a way to protest that doesn't harm or inconvenience ordinary members of the public or destroy art etc.

I'm sure they can think of something.

Amazing how many people appear to think that's the only alternative to this kind of foolery.
Get off your high horses.

I try to ask myself would I be advocating the same prison term or freedom to protest for individuals protesting a cause i have no sympathy for. What about groups that may have views that are abhorrent to me but legal?

There are also strict sentencing guidelines so will be interesting to see whether the judge followed these.

I wonder if it would be more effective to target large, wealthy corporate offenders, rather than ordinary people trying to go to work or hospital appointments?

Well if they'd been protesting peacefully on a pavement somewhere, they wouldn't have been charged.

They organised for a lot of people to occupy the M25 gantries, which isn't really peaceful protest. Hence "conspiracy to disturb the public peace" or however the charge was worded.

Ditto defacing works of art etc.

If they stuck to non-crimes they'd enjoy more public support as well as fewer criminal prosecutions.

I'd like to see it.

I'd like an energetic anti- climate change campaign I could really get behind.

True.

Be the change you want to see, Literally. How about looking up The Climate Majority Project, who exist very much for people who are concerned about the impact of the climate emergency and want to get behind change but not necessarily in the tradition of the kind of civil disobedience and peaceful protest advocated by Gandhi, Mandela and XR. It might be a good starting point for connecting with something more appealing, perhaps locally? Horses for courses. Or in this case, causes.

To respond to the OP, I too am very concerned about what this kind of sentencing means for democracy. I have listened to RH speak at public meetings on several occasions, participated in zooms (evidence submitted included recordings of a zoom attended by a Sun journalist) and subsequent actions, although not anywhere near the scale of the protest in question; when the reality of what climate science clearly points to becomes apparent, it is a natural consequence to want to take action to protect what we love: ours and other mothers' children, wildlife and the natural world; species and habitats; livelihoods, food and energy security; entire weather systems, often at considerable personal cost, risk of harm and reputational damage. Many of us have decades behind us of active memberships in organisations such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, RSPB, WWF, the Woodland Trust among others, as well as writing to MPs and corporations with our concerns, only to feel frustrated with the pace of change and impact. And looking historically, when people find the courage to engage in civil disobedience, the change so desperately needed is more likely to happen. The climate science is compelling and clear, the men and women who act, informed by this, are motivated by care and overwhelming concern. Sure, actions may cause disruption, but not moving to impact change is going to be more damaging over time.

There will be holy hell when the next women's march all get sent to jail