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.

Yanbu. Without protest, we wouldn't have votes for women and the working class. Or weekends off. Or holiday and sick pay. Whatever your views on Just Stop Oil, you need to understand that British law is built on precedents. And now the precedent has been set to stop protest for any reason. No matter what s future government proposed,

I think that the sentences are too long whilst also thinking there should be limits on the disruption that protesters are permitted to cause without personal consequences.

It’s not “no more protests”; it’s “don’t try and close the M25”. But 12 months would be deterrent without being vindictive.

Yes to all your points but especially that inaction causes more disruption.

Extreme unseasonable floods cause road, rail, business and housing disruption.

The insanely hot summer of 22 melted roads and warped train tracks. Much disruption

Looking at hotter countries this happens tenfold and is an indication of what happens next here.

If this were inconveniencing elites rather than ordinary people, they would have found a way to put them in prison for ten years rather than five.

OP, I mistakenly voted YABU. I agree with you. Punishing non-violent protesters criminally is what fascists do. It's fundamentally anti-democratic. If they are violent or threaten violence, that's another thing altogether.

Non-violent protesting is not terrorism. That's ridiculous. The right to protest is a fundamental human right, as long as there is no violence or threats of violence. If they are attacking or harassing people then it's legitimate to lock them up.

That part I agree with you on. Not acceptable.

There are also deaths caused by leaving roads open!

They aren’t peaceful.

Their actions don’t help the cause of climate activism. They actively hinder it.

The options aren’t just do
nothing or that kind of activism.

It is violent and threatening. People take their families to exhibitions to see the world's wonders, they don't expect to expose them to the threat and violence these idiots present. It's time the government started listening to its voters, otherwise we will have a Trump situation in future. Also, it's the hypocrisy that stings, mainly entitled public school sixth formers who don't really know about the world. Champagne socialism at its best. I don't give a hoot about them or the 'burning world'

Why don't they do something to get their message across without disruption?

Next time there is a flood why don't they turn up to rescue people, or help out in shelter when people have been evacuated to?

In Australia years ago when the rail staff went on strike they still worked, just left the gates open so everyone travelled for free - everyone was behind them!
If they could engineer a stunt like that it might get people on board

The consequence of their actions were very serious. I think the sentences are wholly justified. They also took up loads of court time with rambling statements that were not relevant to their defence.

I think they are actively harming their cause, as no one is going to persuaded by their actions to decide climate change is an urgent issue.

They haven't been jailed for peaceful protest. They have been jailed because they continue to cause public disruption.

Which does, precisely, nothing for their cause. But causes the general public immense problems and costs a fortune. They aren't achieving anything.

In my opinion the vast majority don't even care about their cause. It's a convenient excuse to cause disruption and chaos and still claim to be morally superior.

I’ve read RHs lengthy description of the court case and don’t think he helped himself there either.

The fact that they all ended up representing themselves is telling. It is likely that they did not listen to legal advice

I was travelling home one day and the idiots glued themselves to the Tube carriage doors. Everybody on the platform was attempting to use public transport to get home. Isn't that what we're supposed to do to reduce emissions?

They're just a bunch of spoilt brats that don't have a clue about life or science for that matter.

People can protest, but when you shut down the countries motorways causing people to miss holidays, weddings, funerals, bedside of dying relatives and cost the country a fortune, prepare for a lengthy sentence. I don’t think the sentence is excessive at all and it doesn’t make me think people cannot protest. As peaceful protests are not punishable. These guys took it way too far

They were jailed for planning a protest. What’s to stop people being jailed in the future now just because police think they may be planning a protest?

This isn’t about Just Stop Oil, this is about democracy and the right to protest.

The planning the protest wasn’t the issue - it was conducting a protest that caused massive infrastructure disruption and cost vast amounts of money. They knew the risks in doing what they did.

Protest yes- disruption like that no.

well deserved punishment.

What protest were they planning?

What exactly were they planning?

I truly hope people who think this extortionate jail sentence is deserved never feel the need to protest about something they care deeply about.

Just Stop Oil are an easy target to push through dangerous curtails to freedom.

Punishing the public achieves nothing the public cannot stop climate change they cannot dictates government policy they cannot change a dam thing there are thousands of people out there that would love to use their car less hell I learned to drive in my 40s BECAUSE we have poor transport services and I needed to get places I literally cannot get my children to a hospital without a car not even an emergency just a regular appointment ffs

What have just stop oil achieved

Here's a thought experiment. Suppose you drive a gas guzzling SUV. You could afford an electric car, but you choose the SUV. Since we know for a fact that having a large carbon footprint is killing the planet and therefore every species on it, why is that not considered violence?
Is it just because you think these deaths are too far off in the future to count as a direct effect? Well, they aren't. It's happening right now.
So explain to me (those of you with a large carbon footprint) why you are so much better than JSO. Aren't you being hypocrites?

It's not peaceful though. It's disruptive and potentially dangerous- to them and others. It falls under terrorism, not right to protest and I fully agree.

I can't afford a gas guzzler, never could. They're punishing ordinary people rather than the big guys because it's easier and more news worthy.