Just Stop Oil activists jailed for scaling bridge in England

LONDON

Two activists from the Just Stop Oil campaign have been given prison sentences for scaling a bridge over the River Thames in the UK.

Morgan Trowland, 40, was sentenced to three years in prison, while Marcus Decker, 34, received a two-year-and-seven-month prison sentence for causing a public nuisance.

The two activists used ropes and climbing equipment to scale the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in October last year, which forced the police to close it to traffic, causing a gridlock.

Representatives of the activist group claimed that these were the longest sentences ever given for a peaceful climate protest in the history of the UK.

"Two Just Stop Oil supporters have been given draconian custodial sentences after occupying the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford in London," the group said in a statement.

Previously, Trowland, a bridge design engineer from London, said: "Marcus and I demonstrated what any two ordinary people will do, when the death screams of the world become unbearable. I cannot enjoy liberty in a society when our government makes plans to kill people on a massive scale."

"Drilling new oil and gas wells in 2023 means death for many of the most vulnerable on earth. I will not be complicit in that," he added.

In response to their sentencing, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: "These selfish protesters caused families to miss funerals, cost businesses money, disrupted emergency services and brought chaos to the law-abiding public."

"I welcome the court’s verdict. Others considering similar stunts should take note."

Stephanie Golder, a Just Stop Oil spokesperson, said that the actions of Trowland and Decker were “risky and extremely disruptive.”

"But what should you do when your government refuses to protect the people? When it ignores the repeated warnings of the world’s climate scientists. When you know that new oil and gas extraction will eventually result in the deaths of billions of people?" she said.

Since the start of the Just Stop Oil campaign on April 1, 2022, over 2,000 people have been arrested, and 138 individuals have spent time in prison – many of them without a trial, according to the group.