Climate groups to back M25 protesters' jail appeal

Five people stand together with arms around each other's shoulders, smiling at the camera in front of a stone building with flint walls. From left to right: a woman in a patterned dress, a woman in a blue checkered shirt, an older woman with gray hair, a young man in a dark polo shirt, and an older bearded man in a red plaid shirt holding a walking stick. — Just Stop Oil protesters Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, Cressida Gethin, Louise Lancaster, Daniel Shaw and Roger Hallam are to appeal their jail terms

Two environmental campaign groups will be allowed to help appeal against the sentences given to five climate protestors who took part in demonstrations that blocked the M25.

Just Stop Oil (JSO) founder Roger Hallam was jailed for five years and activists Daniel Shaw, Louise Lancaster, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu and Cressida Gethin were jailed for four in July for their roles in disrupting traffic on the motorway in November 2022.

Friends of the Earth (FoE) said it and Greenpeace UK have been allowed to intervene in support of the five when they challenge their jail terms in court next month. FoE said it would argue the sentences breach human rights legislation.

The group also called for "proportionate" penalties for protesters.

The five protesters were convicted by a jury at Southwark Crown Court of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance. The protests saw about 45 protesters climb onto gantries over the motorway for four successive days, at times bringing the motorway to a standstill.

Prosecution barristers told the court this led to 50,000 hours of vehicle delay, an economic hit of at least £765,000, and cost the Metropolitan Police more than £1.1m.

The image shows heavy traffic congestion on the M25 motorway with vehicles at a complete standstill across multiple lanes. A police car with high-visibility markings is positioned on the road with an officer standing nearby. The scene depicts the traffic disruption from environmental protests in November 2022. — The M25 protests brought the motorway to a standstill over four consecutive days in November 2022

Katie de Kauwe, senior lawyer at FoE said the sentences showed "the chilling effect of the previous government's anti-protest laws". "In what functioning democracy can it be right for those peacefully raising the alarm about the climate crisis to receive longer jail sentences than people who participated in racially motivated violence this summer, and deliberately targeted migrants, refugees and Muslim communities? Peaceful protesters shouldn't be locked up, period."

Jack Robirosa, legal counsel for Greenpeace UK, said the last government's "draconian laws" led to a situation where "conscientious people are getting five years in prison for discussing a planned peaceful protest". He added: "This is not the sort of thing most people associate with an established democracy with respect for civil rights and a healthy culture of protest and free speech."

The appeal bids are due to be heard at the end of January.