Environmental advocacy group Just Stop Oil announced Tuesday that five supporters had been remanded to prison, which they say means the “number of people imprisoned in the UK for demanding action to address the climate crisis has now risen to 26.”
The five supporters of Just Stop Oil appeared Tuesday morning in Manchester Magistrates’ Court and were charged with intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance. This followed a number of arrests made on Monday near Manchester Airport, with another man being arrested in Birmingham. Greater Manchester Police stated that the individuals were also found “to be in possession of items that we believe would have been used to cause damage and significant disruption to the Airport and their operations.”
Head of Specialist Operations for Greater Manchester Police, Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter, said:
We are working closely with Manchester Airports Group, partners, and police colleagues from across the UK in an attempt to prevent disruptive activity and ensure it does not affect us here in Manchester. Our aim is to keep the airport running so that you can enjoy your well-earned holidays, so I ask that anyone who is travelling remains vigilant. If you see something that seems suspicious, report it to us so we can act.
Just Stop Oil have been collaborating with international groups to demand a Fossil Fuel Treaty, which would aim to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. According to the press release Tuesday, the five supporters were charged in connection with recent airport actions. At the end of July, eight people were arrested at Gatwick Airport, on suspicion of interfering with public infrastructure, after they used suitcases with lock-on devices to demonstrate near a security gate. The next day, protesters at Heathrow Airport covered departure boards in orange paint. A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil condemned worldwide governments for their failure in addressing the climate crisis, saying that “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.”
One of the five appearing in Manchester Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 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. 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.
