Just Stop Oil Defiers Back in Court Over M25 Chaos
Court action heats up this week as 17 Just Stop Oil protesters face hearings at Southwark Crown Court. Nine remain on remand following four days of M25 blockades last November. The defendants appear across three separate sessions linked to the dramatic November 7th protests.
More Trials as Climate Warriors Fight Oil Giants
Meanwhile, two Brighton activists — Hannah Hunt, 23, and Eben Lazarus, 22 — stand trial at a Magistrates Court over a daring July stunt. The pair glued themselves to the frame of Constable’s Hay Wain painting at the National Gallery, covered with a reworked version to push Just Stop Oil’s message.
Defiant Defendants Speak Out
Amy-Rose Friel-O’Donnell, 20, from Bromley, told the court: “Not in my name will millions of lives be ruined by the greed of the 1 percent. Not in my name will 33 million displaced people in Pakistan suffer in silence. Why punish those trying to stop this suffering?”
Devon parent Darcy Mitchell, 47, vowed: “I’ve already been to prison for peaceful protest and would go again. Fossil fuels are killing people now. Scientists say no new oil and gas licences. We all must act – what will you regret more: hoping or acting?”
Michelle Charlesworth, 56, from Oxfordshire, who’s served 80 days this year for protests at Kingsbury Oil Terminal, slammed the government: “They’re betraying us, locking up ordinary people rather than tackling climate wrecking fossil fuels. We’re not criminals, we act to defend our families. Step up or lose everything.”
Mass Arrests and Ongoing Campaign
- Six weeks of sustained blockades and civil disobedience led to 700+ arrests in October-November.
- Since April 1, Just Stop Oil campaigners face over 2,000 arrests and 26 jailed supporters.
- The group protests the government’s plan to license 100+ new oil and gas projects by 2025.
- They accuse officials of ignoring soaring energy bills while fuelling climate collapse.
Just Stop Oil remains defiant, continuing its peaceful but relentless fight to halt the fossil fuel frenzy threatening millions and democracy itself.
