Cars were held up on the M25 (Just Stop Oil/PA) More than 1,200 artists, athletes and academics have condemned the “injustice” of sentences handed to five Just Stop Oil activists for peaceful protests. In a letter to Attorney General Richard Hermer KC, the high-profile figures backed millionaire Labour donor Dale Vince and broadcaster Chris Packham’s call for an urgent meeting to discuss “the jailing of truth tellers and their silencing in court”. It comes after Roger Hallam, 58, was jailed for five years after being found guilty of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance for his involvement in a protest that disrupted the M25 in London for more than four days in 2022.
Cressida Gethin, 22, Daniel Shaw, 38, Lucia Whittaker de Abreu, 35, and Louise Lancaster, 58, were jailed for four years over the demonstration, which saw 45 people climb on to gantries over the motorway. The M25 protests took place over four days (Just Stop Oil/PA) The jail terms are thought to be the longest sentences ever given for peaceful protest and exceed those handed to two fellow Just Stop Oil protesters for scaling the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on the Dartford Crossing in October 2022. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has faced calls to intervene in the case while UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk described the sentences as “deeply troubling”.
Artist Dame Tracey Emin, Coldplay frontman Chris Evans, film director Danny Boyle, author Sir Philip Pullman, singer Annie Lennox and actor To.