The Volokh Conspiracy
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Climate Protestors Sentenced to Jail for Blocking Major Roadway in Britain
Organizers of the highway obstruction will spend years in jail for their anything-but-peaceful protest.
A group of protestors with a group called "Just Stop Oil" seeking to force greater action on climate change conspired to block the M25 -- basically the London beltway -- in November 2022. The protestors were prosecuted for their efforts, and have now been sentenced to several years in jail. The BBC reports:
Five environmental activists who organised protests that brought part of the M25 to a standstill over four days have been jailed. . . .
Judge Christopher Hehir said Roger Hallam, 58, Daniel Shaw, 38, Louise Lancaster, 58, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, 35, and Cressida Gethin, 22, had "crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic".
At Southwark Crown Court, Hallam was sentenced to five years' imprisonment while the other defendants each received four-year jail terms.
Obstructing a highway is not simple political expression, and it is far from "peaceful protest." It involves the physical obstruction of others' freedom of movement. It is also disruptive and potentially tortious conduct that can have severe consequences. In this case, those seeking to "just stop oil" have done little to advance their cause (traffic congestion results in worse fuel economy and increases emissions), but and managed to cause significant harm to others. From the BBC report:
The action resulted in chaos on the M25 over four successive days, causing nearly 51,000 hours of driver delays, the court heard. The protests closed parts of the motorway in Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire.
People missed flights, medical appointments and exams. Two lorries collided, and a police motorcyclist came off his bike during one of the protests on 9 November 2022 while trying to bring traffic to a halt in a "rolling road block".
Prosecutors alleged the protests led to an economic cost of at least £765,000, while the cost to the Metropolitan Police was put at more than £1.1m.
The activists and their allies also sought to disrupt the trial, but to no avail.
If activists wish to engage in such conduct as civil disobedience, so be it. They must remember, however, that civil disobedience involves the knowing and deliberate violation of law and (as traditionally practiced) a willingness to suffer the consequences.
In this case, those seeking to "just stop oil" didn't, and will just go to jail instead.
