Latest news with #publicnuisance
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
I received a 30-month jail sentence for nonviolent resistance. Why so harsh? Because protest works
Last week, at Minshull Street crown court in Manchester, I was sentenced to two and half years in prison for conspiring to intentionally cause a public nuisance. The prosecution's case was that I intended to 'obstruct the public or a section of the public in the exercise or enjoyment of a right that may be exercised or enjoyed by the public at large' – in other words, that I was part of Just Stop Oil's plan to obstruct planes at Manchester airport. I did intend that – and I have a defence for my actions. The offence of public nuisance – which falls under the Criminal Law Act 1977 and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 – was traditionally and frequently used to prosecute significant environmental offences. It punished big corporations causing real harm to the general public by poisoning water, polluting air, emitting dust and noise or dumping chemical waste. There is no irony lost in the fact that the same offence in statutory form is now being zealously deployed to prosecute environmental protesters. After spending nine months in prison on remand, my stomach was tied in knots but my head was held high as I climbed the steep, gloomy concrete steps from the court cells into the glass dock, which stands in the centre of the imposing Victorian gothic courtroom in Manchester. At last I was due to find out my sentence. At the end of the long ruling our fate was made clear: Leanorah Ward, Margaret Reid, Daniel Knorr and I were given 18 months, 18 months, 24 months and 30 months respectively. I was taken back to prison, where I remain, with time left to serve. Make no mistake, this sentence was passed because nonviolent resistance has the potential to spark revolutionary change. The judge, Jason MacAdam, deemed it necessary to hand down 'deterrent' sentences in order to inspire fear in others considering similar actions. There was much in the judgment that I disagree with, but I do agree with the judge's assertion that I considered 'the cause to trump inconvenience to others whether that be the general public at Manchester airport or other court users'. The climate crisis is not our cause; it's a matter of life or death for everyone. We set out to disrupt the planes at Manchester airport because history shows that resistance can be a catalyst for change, and science shows that we need to change our destructive way of life now to prevent disaster. When we were arrested on the way to airport, we had a banner in our pockets that said 'Oil Kills'. When we were sentenced in court we each raised signs saying, 'Billions will die'. The science is clear, and the judge is right: I consider the facts to be so alarming, so stark, so utterly heartbreaking that disruption to everyday life is warranted. And I have spent each day in custody, questioning why others equipped with the same knowledge as I have do not feel the duty to act in the same way that I do. The judge agreed that we acted on our conscience, but for sentencing he wanted to see remorse. But how can it be possible to take part in an act of conscience and then show remorse? How could I be morally compelled to take action one week, and then filled with regret for acting the next? I took action to disrupt the status quo, as I believed that carrying on as normal meant complicity in many unnecessary deaths. I pleaded not guilty and chose to defend my actions in court because I wanted to present the case that I was acting out of necessity to prevent harm. But this defence was ruled out. The judge stated that 'the stance taken by you [by pleading not guilty] distinguishes you all from others who have chosen to follow the long and honourable tradition of civil disobedience on conscientious grounds, that is accepting that you have broken the law and accepting the punishment that follows'. In doing this he not only disregarded the 1670 trial of Penn and Mead (where Quakers pleaded not guilty to unlawful assembly), the Ploughshare Four trial (where peace activists defended themselves by arguing that they acted to prevent harm), and the Rivonia trial of Nelson Mandela (who defended himself against conspiracy charges brought by the apartheid South African government). They all pleaded not guilty. He also denies the very essence of the tradition of protest: its ability to evolve and adapt to different contexts in order to find the confrontational edge essential to nonviolent action. Just Stop Oil is not a re-enactment group, it is an action group, which has taken a strategic decision to continue resistance into the courtroom. By asserting the necessity for our actions, we include the legal system in the debate over our duty and responsibilities. Later in the judgment, MacAdam appeared to reveal outright contempt for those in resistance, as he mused 'how wrong it is in a free and democratic society to consider that your own belief in the worthiness of a cause to be justification for breaking the law'. As if centuries of political and social struggle had never taken place, as if the current 'free and democratic society' has delivered the protection and defence we need from ever-increasing heating and extreme weather events. My time incarcerated will be spent in service. I will continue to follow in the noble tradition of civil resistance, using my time to read about past campaigns and the people behind them. People who also served time in prison, in the belief that despite the reaction of the state, their actions were a necessary public service. I will consider how to hold those responsible for the greatest crime ever committed against humanity to account. Indigo Rumbelow is co-founder of Just Stop Oil. She is serving a sentence in HMP Styal
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Wild footage shows mother with baby breaking up brawl in Mount Isa
Shocking footage shows violent street brawl between two women while a mother with a baby steps in to break up the fight in the outback Queensland city of Mount Isa. The two women are seen pulling violently at each other's clothes and hair, and dragging each other to the ground and throwing punches. A mother wearing a green hoodie, is seen hoisting the baby on her hip with the support of one hand, and trying to break up the fight between the women with her other hand. An onlooker filming the incident can be heard yelling 'there's a baby,' and 'move the baby', as well as telling the brawling women to 'knock it off'. The mother responds to the person filming with, 'I'm trying to stop them'. After the fighting subsides, one of the women is heard yelling: 'Why did you pull my hair?'. This comes just as another violent incident was caught on camera in outback Queensland, with two other women punching each other while onlookers watched. Three weeks ago, another incident involving 30 adults took place near Mount Isa Hospital which resulted in four women being charged with public nuisance as a result. A week later, a video was uploaded to social media showing multiple people stomping and punching a person on Abel Street Parade around 2am in Mount Isa. Data from Queensland Police has shown that the number of crimes committed in Mount Isa has almost doubled in the past decade, According to their statistics, 13,731 offences have been committed in Mount Isa in 2024 as compared to 8160 in 2014 – showing how the region's crime is growing at a faster rate than its population.
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Just Stop Oil co-founder plotted airport gridlock ‘at summer holiday peak'
The co-founder of Just Stop Oil deliberately plotted to cause airport gridlock at the height of the summer holiday season, a detective has said. Indigo Rumbelow, 31, joined Daniel Knorr, 23, Leanorah Ward, 22, and Margaret Reid, 54, in trying to cause chaos at Manchester Airport on Aug 5 last year. They were equipped with heavy duty bolt cutters, angle grinders, glue, sand, Just Stop Oil hi-vis vests and a leaflet giving instructions to follow when interacting with police, a court heard. The four were planning to enter the airfield and stick themselves to the taxiway using the glue and sand, but were all arrested near to the airport, Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court was told. They were all convicted of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance following a trial in February and have now been jailed. Ward was also found in possession of a handwritten note which detailed the motive of the group to enter the airfield and to then contact the police to alert them of their activity. Rumbelow, from London, was jailed for 30 months and Knorr, from Birmingham, got two years while Ward, also from Birmingham, and Reid, from Kendal, Cumbria, each were jailed for 18 months. Each was ordered to pay £2,000 in costs. Passing sentence, Judge Jason MacAdam rejected the defendants' claims that only 'minimal delay, inconvenience, cost would have occurred' had their plan succeeded. He said: 'This was a highly organised, planned and determined conspiracy. 'If it had been successfully executed, [it] would have for some time resulted in chaos not just at Manchester Airport but to infrastructure around the airport and would have had a consequential effect on other airports. 'Many flights would have been delayed, rerouted or cancelled.' Det Chf Insp Tony Platten, who led the investigation, said: 'We know this disruption was deliberately planned to coincide with the height of the summer holidays, targeting the public and their families. 'It was vital that we prevented this from happening. The group's actions demonstrated a complete disregard for the impact on the lives of those travelling via Greater Manchester, and I welcome the sentences handed down today.' Rad Taylor, Manchester Airport operations director, said: 'What these individuals were planning would not only have caused significant disruption for tens of thousands of passengers, but also a significant safety risk. The potential consequences of that do not bear thinking about.' In statements released by Just Stop Oil after the sentencing, the defendants said the action was part of a campaign for a treaty to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. Knorr said: 'Things have continued to get worse. The world still sleepwalks towards hell. 'People are terrified of what rising temperatures and food shortages will mean for them and for their kids. So as long as the climate crisis keeps getting worse, people will keep taking action, prison or not.' Ward said: 'I acted because doing nothing is unthinkable and because the science is clear. We have no other option.'
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Four Just Stop Oil activists are jailed for plot to break into Manchester Airport with bolt-cutters and glue themselves to runaway
Four Just Stop Oil protesters have been jailed for plotting to break into Manchester Airport equipped with heavy-duty bolt cutters, angle grinders, glue and sand. Indigo Rumbelow, 31, Daniel Knorr, 23, Leanorah Ward, 22, and Margaret Reid, 54, had all been convicted of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance. They had planned to break into the airport in August last year and glue themselves to the taxiway. Manchester Minshull Crown Court heard they were all arrested near to Manchester Airport. They were carrying break-in gear, Just Stop Oil high visibility vests and a leaflet containing instructions to follow when interacting with police. Ward was also found in possession of a handwritten note which detailed the motive of the group to enter the airfield and to then contact the police to alert them of their activity. Following a trial the four defendants were found guilty in February of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance. A fifth defendant was acquitted. Rumbelow, from London, was jailed for 30 months; Knorr, from Birmingham, was jailed for two years; Ward, also from Birmingham, was sentenced to 18 months in custody; and Reid, from Kendal, Cumbria was also locked up for 18 months. Following a trial the four defendants were found guilty in February of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance Each was ordered to pay £2,000 in costs. Detective Chief Inspector Tony Platten, who led the investigation, said: 'We know this disruption was deliberately planned to coincide with the height of the summer holidays, targeting the public and their families. 'It was vital that we prevented this from happening. People work hard for their time off, and we have a duty to ensure they can enjoy it without fear or disruption. 'The group's actions demonstrated a complete disregard for the impact on the lives of those travelling via Greater Manchester, and I welcome the sentences handed down today.' Rad Taylor, from Manchester Airport, said: 'The safety and security of our passengers is always our number one concern. 'What these individuals were planning would not only have caused significant disruption for tens of thousands of passengers, but also a significant safety risk. 'The potential consequences of that do not bear thinking about.' In statements released by Just Stop Oil after the sentencing, the defendants said the action was part of a campaign for a treaty to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030. Knorr, who had been remanded in custody prior to sentencing, said: 'Since my imprisonment began, things have continued to get worse. The world still sleepwalks towards hell. 'People are taking action because they are terrified of what rising temperatures and food shortages will mean for them and for their kids. 'So as long as the climate crisis keeps getting worse, people will keep taking action, prison or not.' Ward said: 'I'm not worried about my sentence, I'm worried about living in a world where crop failure means I can't put food on the table. 'I acted because doing nothing is unthinkable and because the science is clear. We have no other option.'
Sky News
27-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Four Just Stop Oil activists jailed for plotting to disrupt Manchester Airport
Four Just Stop Oil activists have been jailed for plotting to disrupt Manchester Airport. Indigo Rumbelow, 31, Daniel Knorr, 23, Leanorah Ward, 22, and Margaret Reid, 54, were convicted of conspiracy to intentionally cause a public nuisance. Manchester Minshull Crown Court heard the protesters were arrested in August last year near the airport. They were equipped with bolt cutters, angle grinders, glue, sand, Just Stop Oil high-visibility vests and a leaflet containing instructions to follow when interacting with police. Ward was additionally found in possession of a handwritten note which outlined the motive of the group to enter the airfield and to then contact police to alert them of their activity. The court heard they planned to stick themselves to the taxiway using the glue and sand. The four defendants were found guilty in February following a trial. A fifth accused was acquitted. Rumbelow, from London, was jailed for 30 months; Knorr, from Birmingham, was jailed for two years; Ward, also from Birmingham, was sentenced to 18 months; and Reid, from Kendal in Cumbria, was locked up for 18 months. Each was ordered to pay £2,000 in costs. Detective Chief Inspector Tony Platten said: "We know this disruption was deliberately planned to coincide with the height of the summer holidays, targeting the public and their families. "It was vital that we prevented this from happening. People work hard for their time off, and we have a duty to ensure they can enjoy it without fear or disruption. "The group's actions demonstrated a complete disregard for the impact on the lives of those travelling via Greater Manchester, and I welcome the sentences handed down today." Rad Taylor, director of aerodrome operations at Manchester Airport, said the group's plans would have caused "significant disruption for tens of thousands of passengers" as well as a "significant safety risk". He added: "The potential consequences of that do not bear thinking about." In statements released by Just Stop Oil, the defendants said the action was part of a campaign for a treaty to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.
