Five Just Stop Oil supporters have been remanded to prison, after appearing at Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday 6 July. The five were arrested yesterday, in relation to ongoing nonviolent action being taken at airports around the world.
In recent weeks, Just Stop Oil has been acting with groups internationally, to demand governments establish a Fossil Fuels Treaty to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.
Just Stop Oil: another five sent to prison
From around 2pm today, Noah Crane, Margaret Reid, Daniel Knorr, Ella Ward, and Indigo Rumbelow appeared before Judge Garland, at Manchester Magistrates Court. All are charged with ‘Conspiracy to Commit a Public Nuisance’, in relation to airport actions that have taken place in recent weeks. The five supporters have all been remanded until at least their next appearance on September 10th.
During the hearing, Ella Ward spoke to the judge and said “my life is at risk”, to which the judge responded “don’t make a scene, wait till I’ve finished”. Indigo Rumbelow was forcibly removed from the dock and dragged away, after demanding the court ‘prosecute the real criminals’.
Ella, Daniel, Indigo and Margaret were all arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning near Manchester Airport. Noah Crane was arrested later in the day from an address in Birmingham, after police seized a phone he allegedly purchased on the 3 August.
The number of people imprisoned in the UK for demanding action to address the climate crisis has now risen to 26.
‘We will not stand by and do nothing’
Speaking before her imprisonment Indigo Rumbelow said:
Just Stop Oil supporters have been taking part in an International Uprising for a Fossil Fuel Treaty, because we have an international crisis and we need an international solution. We’re in a dangerously hot world and our leaders are hell-bent on making it worse.
The climate crisis threatens everything we know and love, yet our so-called leaders are continuing to make the problem worse, the courts are protecting fossil fuel profits and imprisoning those who stand-up to make change, whilst the media is still grappling to tell the truth. Many of my friends have been sent to prison, but we will not be deterred. Nothing will stop us trying to protect our families and our communities from the danger imposed on all of us through continued oil, gas and coal burning.
Daniel Knorr said:
We were not born to stand-by and do nothing whilst hundreds of millions of lives are thrown into the furnace. To be human is to care. This is terrifying but we need to be brave. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is to drive forwards towards what’s right, despite your fear.
We stand to lose everything if our government continues to fuel the climate crisis. It would be completely self defeating to not be in resistance at this time in history. Our leaders must enact a Fossil Fuel Treaty to phase down oil and gas if we are to stand any hope.
‘I’m not scared of going to prison’
Noah Crane said:
When I think about the situation we’re in, I realise we are faced with a choice; we can either sit back and watch as governments allow the deaths of hundreds of millions of people to protect profit, or we can do everything in our power to prevent that. When I think about it that way, it’s really a no-brainer.
I’m not scared of going to prison. What I am scared of is what will happen if we don’t act on this crisis. The world is in a position where there is no threat they can make towards me, that outweighs the consequences of inaction.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
In the wake of the four hottest days in recorded history during the past two weeks, governments are still failing to take action that is commensurate with the scale of the crisis humanity faces. Meanwhile, those demanding our leaders take necessary action, are being given increasingly draconian sentences by those in the judiciary who are complicit with the crimes against humanity, being perpetrated by governments and corporations. It’s time world leaders stood up to fossil capital and enact a fossil fuel treaty to Just Stop Oil by 2030.
Featured image via Just Stop Oil
