GJA Statement on the abuse of the law to imprison JSO activists
Photo: Alisdare Hickson flickr.com/photos/alisdare/
The Greener Jobs Alliance is appalled at the record prison sentences handed out to five Just Stop Oil activists by a judge. We believe this is a miscarriage of justice and represents an assault on civil liberties and the right to protest that is fundamental to a democratic society.
The ‘direct action’ tactics of JSO, XR and others are very different to the area in which GJA seeks to fight the climate struggle – in the workplace, through unions, and collective action by workers. Opinions inevitably differ about the nature and value of JSO actions. But what we are clear about is that (a) we are all engaged in a common struggle in the face of catastrophic climate change, and (b) there is a place for a range of different approaches and that these complement not contradict one another.
The four year prison sentences given to four JSO activists (five years in the case of Roger Hallam) for ‘conspiracy to cause a public nuisance’ by holding a Zoom call to discuss direct action, is a travesty of justice. The average prison sentence for violent crime is 1.7 years, for criminal damage 2.4 years (1) – the activists ‘crime’ contained neither of these elements.
Equally disturbing is a comment by the presiding judge – ‘each of you some time ago crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic’ – which is not just highly subjective, but hardly justifiable given the gravity of the climate situation and the ineffective government ‘actions’ taken thus far to address it. The general public, whether inconvenienced by JSO actions or not, are highly supportive of the idea that much more needs to be done to combat climate change.
And yet, these activists and many others are told not to mention the words ‘climate change’ in the course of their trial, while any evidence of climate impact is excluded from proceedings. Michel Forst, the UN special rapporteur for environmental defenders, also condemned the sentences handed down to the five defendants and stated that these may be in contravention of international law (2).
What this sentencing says about the future of peaceful protest in this country, and how the powers that be will act to preserve a status quo that is driving us to the brink of catastrophe, is too sinister to contemplate. We join other campaign and activist groups in seeking not only to have these sentences reversed but also in calling on the new government to repeal the awful, repressive legislation perpetrated by their Conservative predecessors.
We wish to acknowledge that information in this statement is drawn from:
(1) Novara Media
Just Stop Oil Receive Longest Jail Sentences For Peaceful Protest In British History
youtu.be
(2) The Guardian
theguardian.com