Nigel was on the wrong side of the law again on Thursday, at City of London Magistrates Court.
Back in September 2020 he got arrested as part of the Extinction
Rebellion Protest outside the Houses of Parliament.
The occasion had been the first hearing of the Climate and Ecological
Emergency Bill, tabled by Caroline Lucas.
It is an attempt to take measures to stem irreversible climate
catastrophe but the Government is against it.
By protesting outside parliament, the hope was to appeal to the
consciences of MPs so they might support it.
Nigel sat peacefully in the road and refused to move onto the grassy
area where the police were containing protesters in circumstances which made Covid
social distancing almost impossible.
In court our lawyer tried out some new tactics and arguments. Nigel, as always, pleaded ‘Necessity’ – he did
something a bit wrong in order to prevent a greater harm – i.e. global heating
and the deaths of millions. But, the
judge was disposed to find Nigel guilty.
His sentence was a suspended fine.
However, we got hit with high court costs – a new way of deterring
Climate Activists from peaceful protest.
The Government plans to make things even harder with the Police, Crime,
Sentencing & Courts Bill, 2021, currently being rushed through
Parliament. It means that next time
Nigel (or anybody else) sits down in the road as part of a peaceful protest, he
could be given a ten year prison sentence.
Due to climate factors, we have cut out air travel to foreign countries. But this monstrous
Police Bill will give us the opportunity to experience what it is like to live
in Hong Kong or mainland China!
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