Press release: 8 August 2024 Local people come together to say ‘Stop Jailing Truth Tellers’

  • On the 8th and 9th of August 2024, supporters of the Defend Our Juries campaign will sit outside Crown Courts up and down the country in support of the 26 political prisoners currently locked up in British jails for demanding climate action. 
  • Sittings have been organised by local residents in the hometowns of the Whole Truth Five – currently serving the longest sentences passed on peaceful protestors in living memory.
  • Local people join Chris Packham and Dale Vince’s call for an urgent meeting with the Attorney General.

Action comes in response to longest sentences passed on peaceful protestors in living memory, and as 26 nonviolent people of conscience are locked up in UK prisons.

On 18th July 2024, Judge Christopher Hehir passed the longest sentences in living memory on the Whole Truth Five, five people who planned disruption on the M25 to pressure Rishi Sunak’s government to stop fuelling climate breakdown with new oil and gas licences.

The Judge jailed Roger Hallam (57, from Wales) for 5 years imprisonment; Daniel Shaw (38, from Northampton), Lucia Whittaker De Abreu (34, from Derby), Louise Lancaster (58, from Cambridge) and Cressida Gethin (22, from Hereford) for 4 years. The five were found guilty of ‘conspiracy to cause a public nuisance’, after Judge Hehir removed all legal defences available to them, and ruled that information about the climate crisis could not be submitted as evidence as it was ‘inadmissible opinion or belief’. Midway through the trial 11 members of the Defend Our Juries campaign were arrested for silently holding signs outside Court that stated ‘Jurors deserve to hear the whole truth’. Defend Our Juries responded by staging an 85 person sitting a week later, no-one was arrested.

In June 2024, another truth-teller and life-defender Amy Pritchard was sentenced to prison for 10 months for breaking windows at JP Morgan, the biggest global fossil fuel funder. And following the jailing of the Whole Truth Five, a further 20 people have been imprisoned for acting to save life. Sean O’Callaghan, Rory Wilson, Adam Beard, Sally Davidson, Luke Elson, Rosa Hicks, Luke Watson and Hannah Schafer who were arrested outside Heathrow Airport and sent to prison without a trial; Paul Bell, Theresa Higginson, Gaie Delap, Paul Sousek and George Simonson who received 20-24-month sentences for climbing gantries on the M25; Phoebe Plummer and Jane Touil who are currently being held on remand for taking action at Heathrow Airport; and Ella Ward, Margaret Reid, Noah Crane, Indigo Rumbelow and Daniel Korr who have been remanded to prison before taking any action.

Local people unite to say ‘stop jailing our truth tellers’.

Up and down the country, local people are coming together holding signs that read ‘stop jailing truth tellers’, as well as holding signs with pictures of the 26 political prisoners. Sittings have been organised by supporters of the Defend Our Juries campaign outside crown courts in: Cambridge, Derby, Hereford, Northampton, Swansea, Southwark, Newcastle, Truro, Preston, Lewes, Exeter, Reading, St Albans, Portsmouth and Plymouth. The locations include the hometowns of the Whole Truth Five, as well as Southwark Crown Court, where Judge Hehir passed their 4-5 year sentences.

Sentences have provoked outcry from lawyers, celebrities, UN and the public.

These sentences have caused public outcry, 1,200 of the UK’s leading legal and cultural figures have written to the Attorney General, decrying ‘‘one of the greatest injustices in a British court in modern history’. They have called for an urgent meeting with the new Attorney General Richard Hermer to discuss not only the Whole Truth Five’s sentences, but the jailing of all truth tellers and their silencing in court.

Furthermore, UN special rapporteur Michel Forst, who came to the UK to bear witness the trial itself, has described the 4-5 year sentences as “not acceptable in a democracy”. Mr Forst, who observed the trial, said, “the idea that a judge could decide all alone what is acceptable evidence to present to the jury is something which is, for me, difficult  to understand, how a democracy would not be able to allow the defendant to present the evidence properly…

On 3 August, hundreds gathered at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in parliament square, putting more pressure on the government and Attorney General. Raj Chada, leading lawyer who has represented many of the 26 political prisoners in court spoke at the rally:

“This is about the nature of our democracy, in which peaceful protestors are routinely being imprisoned now. In the Supreme Court, a few years ago, they said that ‘protest was the lifeblood of our democracy.’ Our democracy is on its knees then, because they are not paying attention to protest.”

I have been doing this job now for 20 years and until 3 years ago, I hadn’t had one client imprisoned. Something has changed in the establishment. In the shadow of this [Gandhi] statue, it shows the importance of nonviolent action and what it can achieve and why it should be so important. We will continue that fight for as long as we possibly can.”

A spokesperson for the Defend Our Juries Campaign said:

As fascism fuelled by far right demagogues and media barons breaks out on Britain’s streets; we sit in solidarity with all those who have been persecuted, jailed and killed for taking a stand against government lies and corporate greed, in pursuit of authentic democracy, the self-determination of peoples, and a sustainable future for humanity and life on earth. 

We sit in solidarity also with others who have been incarcerated within the violent and dehumanising system of prisons and detention centres in the UK.”

Further Quotes from the Local Communities of the Whole Truth Five:

Roger Hallam (57, from Wales) from the people of South Wales

“Roger Hallam is an internationally renowned and highly influential climate activist, (co-founding Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil). He has written and spoken extensively about climate and climate-related issues, and is a passionate supporter of non-violent direct action. Roger was an organic farmer in the Llandeilo area for many years beforehand, experiencing destructive extreme weather destroying his crops. Since then he has been a very active campaigner for environmental rights and in the forefront of many high profile actions. He is a controversial campaigner who has fought many court cases and bravely stood up for his rights in court, and insists on telling the truth frequently, putting him in direct conflict with judges. There is outrage at his imprisonment for five years for attempting to protect life and particularly when the prisons are so overcrowded that many prisoners, with convictions for violence, are being released early.”

Daniel Shaw (38, from Northampton) from the people of Northampton

“Daniel used to work with children in social care, and was moved into activism after witnessing the devastating effects of social injustice upon them. Daniel is passionate about growing vegetables for the community and is responsible for annually planting 1000s of daffodils at a local park. We are taking action because we need him back in our community and for positive change.”

Lucia Whittaker De Abreu (34, from Derby) from the people of Derby

“Lucia is a well-known and loved campaigner for environmental and social justice in Derby.  There is a huge swelling of outrage at the injustice of her imprisonment for attempting to protect life.  This is likely to result in more people stepping up to fight government inaction on the biggest crisis humanity has ever faced.”

Louise Lancaster (58, from Cambridge)

“It was Louise Lancaster who sat, all on her own, outside Cambridge Crown Court for Defend Our Juries back in September 2023. This was the first in a series of six Defend Our Juries events that later took place outside Cambridge Crown Court. The most recent action, led by Louise’s friends and family, saw over thirty people sitting in solidarity with Louise, and in grief and outrage at the barbaric sentencing of the Whole Truth Five.”

Cressida Gethin (22, from Hereford) by the people of Hereford

“In Hereford, local residents and concerned citizens from the Marches and beyond, are gathering to show support for Cressie Gethin and to defend the integrity of our justice system. Hereford crown court has been closed since 2020 when the roof fell in, so alternative locations are being visited. People and placards will start at the day outside Hereford Police Station, later moving to the Probation Services office, followed by a brief stop at the inactive crown court before finishing in the grounds of Hereford Cathedral for more photographs and speeches.”

Whole Truth Five, by the people of Southwark

“Roger Hallam was also a local resident in Southwark in recent years. It was at Southwark Crown Court where Judge Christopher Hehir took the decision to impose outrageously disproportionate and highly unjust sentences on the Whole Truth Five. The sentences imposed on the five have caused public outcry and 1200 of the U.K.’s leading legal and cultural figures have written to the Attorney General decrying one of the greatest injustices in a British court in modern history. They have called for an urgent meeting with the new Attorney General Richard Hermer to discuss not only the Whole Truth Five’s  sentences but the jailing of all truth tellers and their silencing in court.

The judge who sentenced Roger, HH Judge Hehir stated that he believed Roger had orchestrated the Defend Our Juries sitters with placards outside the Crown Court and so was increasing Roger’s  sentence but there was no foundation in such a belief and no evidence presented to support it. It simply isn’t true.”

Press contact: Paddy – 07958275270

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About Defend our Juries:

Defend Our Juries is a campaign with the following aims:

  1. to bring to public attention the programme to undermine trial by jury in the context of those taking action to expose government dishonesty and corporate greed
  2. to raise awareness of the vital constitutional safeguard that juries can acquit a defendant as a matter of conscience, irrespective of a judge’s direction that there is no available defence (a principle also known as ‘jury equity’ or ‘jury nullification‘)
  3. to ensure that all defendants have the opportunity to explain their actions when their liberty is at stake, including by explaining their motivations and beliefs.