Extinction Rebellion founder jailed for five years!

Well I think it’s meant to make an example of them.
Pour encourager les autres
How many people were seriously impacted by Just Stop Oil protests?
Prevented from reaching dying family members, from attending hospital appointments, receiving urgent medical treatment, attending family funerals, ambulances, transplant organs or donated blood not getting through in time ?
I could go on. Regardless of their stated aims, the people affected were not “Big Oil” or influential executives - they were people like you and me. We may not seem important to the protesters but their selfishness wiped out any sympathy I might have had for their cause.

In 2011 there were riots on the streets of London. Buildings were set on fire. Looting was rife. The people responsible, who were caught, were given lengthy prison sentences. As far as I am aware we haven't had any major rioting on the streets since.

As the climate temperature rises and sea levels rise, I suspect we will have more people on the move due to drought rendering previously viable farming areas into deserts and people's lands disappearing under the sea.

I totally oppose ER in its actions on the M25. I do think prison will turn them into martyrs in many eyes, why not house arrests combined with having to work on projects that put something back into peoples lives for a long periods.

Interesting article Baggs.

Whilst acknowledging that deaths from natural disasters have declined, the author notes that:

“This trend does not mean that disasters have become less frequent, or less intense. It means the world today is much better at preventing deaths from disasters than in the past. This will become increasingly important in our response and adaptation to climate change.”

Baggs I think your facts will fall on deaf ears.

Future generations - our grandchildren; great grandchildren; great great grandchildren - will be the ones most affected by climate change.

Here's an interesting fact: Deaths from climate disasters have declined by 98% over the last 100 years.

ourworldindata.org/century-disaster-deaths

No one has said we should ignore it. The amount of concern shown and efforts being made to be greener shows that.

That’s different from allowing people to plan actions that can result in people dying or being unable to get treatment for injuries, unless you feel that people alive now are less important and don’t need saving.

I think it unlikely the Labour government will intervene even if it has the power to do so (which I doubt).

I’m glad they’ve been jailed, but they won’t serve anything near 5 years. It’ll be a while in an open prison, then out on a tag.

Future generations - our grandchildren; great grandchildren; great great grandchildren - will be the ones most affected by climate change. I don’t think we have the right to ignore this; young people’s views are the ones that really count today. It’s their future!

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/nov/18/outraged-xr-just-stop-oil-disruptive-climate-crisis

It's not a great idea to base actions on what future generations might think. We tend to be quite poor on our predictions of how future generations will view the past.

Absolutely vegansrock👏👏👏

Clearly, in the 21st century, stopping traffic is a heinous crime!

I wonder how the history books of the future will view the imprisonment of these JSO protesters? Perhaps future generations i.e. our grandchildren/great grandchildren will view them very differently from many of today’s GN posters.

The suffragettes were imprisoned for being disruptive and causing damage, people thought they were silly women who should have been at home.

They are allowed to protest.
just not in a manner where they have planned to endanger human life on more than one occasion.
That does. I admit presume, that they are intelligent people, and would know the impact e.g. on hospitals.

I do wish a news program would set up a program examining the protesters contribution to global warming whilst not protesting.

Iam64

It’s effective in protecting society from offenders who make clear they’ll repeat the offences for which they’re on trial

This.

vegansrock you post

prison is not effective punishment

Prison keeps undesirables off of U.K. streets.

I am rather pleased that rapists, murderers, violent criminals, drug dealers, terrorists (even if they have only been sentenced for plotting) are banged up

In this instance along with the protests they were found to be plotting an event which in all probability would have caused deaths, so in my opinion and that of the judge the correct place for them is in prison.

Iam64

It’s effective in protecting society from offenders who make clear they’ll repeat the offences for which they’re on trial

🎯

We aren’t allowed to protest is such a similar nonsense to the we aren’t allowed to say anything

vegansrock

Well we aren’t allowed to protest are we - this was not a violent offence. Yes, people were affected which was wrong but is it 10times worse than drunk driving which kills someone or domestic violence? I and many others have been inconvenienced by taxi drivers protesting, and the M25 is snarled up daily by stupid drivers causing accidents - should they be banged up ? Prison is not effective punishment which has been demonstrated time and time again.

Some motorists are banged up (your words)

All roads have accidents on them at some time or another, which causes disruption for an hour or so.

These protesters caused a major motorway to be closed for days!!

Well we aren’t allowed to protest are we

Peaceful protest is allowed in the U.K., as evidenced by the regular pro-Palestinian marches, the climate march two weeks ago, I could go on with other examples, but I honestly cannot be bothered.

Iam64 👏👏👏

It’s effective in protecting society from offenders who make clear they’ll repeat the offences for which they’re on trial

Well we aren’t allowed to protest are we - this was not a violent offence. Yes, people were affected which was wrong but is it 10times worse than drunk driving which kills someone or domestic violence? I and many others have been inconvenienced by taxi drivers protesting, and the M25 is snarled up daily by stupid drivers causing accidents - should they be banged up ? Prison is not effective punishment which has been demonstrated time and time again.

Got what they deserved

These Tarquins and Persephone's won't be signing on for Universal Credit when they emerge from jail - they are priveliged and trust fund minted. Unlike 'normal' convicts they won't find employers prejudiced against them because they're fortunate enough to not need a 9 to 5 regular income.
The justifiable sentences will doubtless make them regret that the lack of liberty will deprive them of being able to do The Season, keeping up with one's jolly friends, swigging Bollinger and stuffing themselves with Eton Mess. Just too frightful, innit?

What mitigating circumstances would he like to see?
Maybe claim that not many people were deprived of earnings, not many people missed vital treatments . . .

Maybe the media should do a fly on the wall series to see how green he actually is.