LONDON

Supporters of the environmental activist group Just Stop Oil (JSO) staged a rally Wednesday outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London as 16 of their activists began their appeals against prison sentences.

The activists, whom the group has labeled “political prisoners,” were sentenced last year to a combined 41 years in prison for various protests. Among those appealing are demonstrators who threw tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh’s famous Sunflowers painting at the National Gallery in London.

Gathering outside the court, protesters held banners reading “Protect the right to protest” and “Free political prisoners,” while others carried photos of those currently imprisoned.

Two activists, Rajan Naidu, 73, and Niamh Lynch, 22, who are accused of damaging an ancient protected monument during a protest at Stonehenge last year, are also appealing their convictions.

In a statement, a JSO spokesperson said the political system is “on trial today.”

“This case is not about whether peaceful climate defenders deserve to be punished with long prison sentences,” the statement read. The group argued that activists are not being imprisoned for disrupting daily life but because “Just Stop Oil threatens the profits of the fossil fuel industry.” 

‘We Cannot Allow That to Happen’

Paul Sousek, a 73-year-old farmer, was among those protesting the court decision. Speaking to Anadolu, he expressed frustration over what he sees as a lack of serious action to combat climate change.

“The problem is that nobody is taking it seriously enough to actually stop climate change,” Sousek said.

He warned that failure to address climate change could lead to irreversible consequences. “That will cause so many problems—starvation around the world, and basically the end of civilization. We cannot allow that to happen,” he said.

Expressing concern for future generations, Sousek noted that while he may not live to see the full effects of climate change, his grandchildren will “definitely see it and definitely suffer.”

He also highlighted the potential risks to food security, warning that as climate change intensifies, fertile areas will become barren due to droughts, leading to food shortages and mass displacement.

“There will be millions of people moving from one country to another, and I don’t know how civilization is going to survive,” he said.

Supporting the jailed protesters, Sousek urged the court to consider the motives behind the activists’ actions when ruling on their appeals.