Today, 20 September 2024 at 12pm, a petition signed by over 60,000 concerned citizens will be delivered to UK Attorney General Richard Hermer KC at the Ministry of Justice on Petty France.

The petition, which has 100 pages of signatures, demands “the immediate end to the imprisonment of brave, nonviolent political prisoners, jailed for telling the truth and acting in resistance to continued extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal.” [1]

Accompanying the petition is a letter to the Attorney General from Defend Our Juries, renewing the call for a public meeting, to discuss the Government’s violations of international law, as detailed by the UN.[2]

Should that demand not be met, the letter promises an escalation of actions, to begin with a free public exhibition of political prisoners, outside Southwark Crown Court from 12.30pm on 27th September.

The petition follows outrage over the record prison sentences given to the Whole Truth Five, five nonviolent political prisoners. Two months ago, they were sentenced to a combined 21 years in prison for resisting the fossil fuel industry.

The petition highlights the grave danger of ongoing oil and gas extraction. It accuses politicians and corporate lobbyists of enabling “the most deadly crime of our age”—the destruction of our planet. The imprisoned individuals, Cressie, Dan, Lou, Lucia, and Roger, are described as brave, nonviolent defenders of our future. They are guilty only of exposing the existential threat of the fossil fuel industry.

“Oil kills, and we all know it,” the petition asserts. It emphasises that while these individuals remain in prison, the true criminals—those profiting from environmental destruction—remain free.

The petition has received overwhelming support from a diverse group of professionals, including:

• 3600 Teachers
• 2500 Artists
• 2000 Consultants
• 1600 Engineers
• 1550 Scientists
• 1000 Doctors and Medics
• 890 Writers 
• 785 Finance Professionals
• 700 Campaigners
• 660 Media and TV Workers
• 550 Retail Workers
• 500 Construction Workers
• 380 Lawyers 
• 360 Architects
• 220 Farmers
• 200 Drivers
• 82 Politicians 
• 50 Sportspeople

With such diverse support, the petition is a resounding call for change, calling for an immediate end to the imprisonment of these political prisoners and a halt to the continued destruction caused by the fossil fuel industry.

“We cannot sit by,” the petition continues. “We demand the immediate end to the imprisonment of brave, nonviolent political prisoners, jailed for telling the truth and acting in resistance to continued extraction and burning of oil, gas, and coal.”

Defend Our Juries’s call for a public meeting with the Attorney General echoes that issued by Chris Packham and Dale Vince in July.[3] This was then supported in an open letter from over 1,200 public figures including Dr Rowan Williams, Sir Geoffrey Bindman, Sir Philip Pullman, Danny Boyle, Peter Gabriel, Annie Lennox and Len McCluskey.[4]

So far, the Attorney General has not agreed to the meeting. This petition, signed by numerous individuals from all walks of life, increases the pressure upon him, ahead of the series of nonviolent civil disobedience actions by campaign group Defend Our Juries, beginning next week.

The world watches as this crucial moment in history unfolds. The question now lies in the hands of the UK government and the Attorney General: Will they choose to stand on the side of justice and the planet or continue to allow the devastation to go unchecked?

ENDS

For further info: Howard 07459055152; Tim 07795316164; Paddy 07958275270; Kim +1 647-234-8370

Notes for editors:

[1] https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/no-prison-for-protest

[2] https://defendourjuries.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/27-sept-letter-to-AG.pdf

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/19/just-stop-oil-tactics-prison-chris-packham

[4] https://defendourjuries.org/wtf/#open-letter

The Defend Our Juries campaign 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.