Activists Scale M25 Bridge, Spark Massive Gridlock
Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 34, climbed the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge cables using ropes and climbing gear, prosecutor Adam King told Basildon Crown Court.
They reached around 200 feet above the road, unfurled a huge “Just Stop Oil” banner, and set up hammocks to stay put, causing chaos below.
Bridge Shutdown Brings Traffic to a Standstill
The vital M25 link between Essex and Kent was shut from 4 a.m. on October 17 until 9 p.m. the next day.
“This closure caused gridlock for miles around for that entire period, which we say was the point,” Mr King explained.
The disruption made national headlines, as businesses lost hundreds of thousands, funerals were missed, and children were stranded waiting for buses.
Activists Caught, Face Jail After Defiant Protest
The pair were removed around 5.30 p.m. on October 18 with police help and a cherry picker crane, but the bridge stayed closed for hours more.
“We’re not here to litigate the Government’s climate policy,” prosecutor Adam King told jurors.
But Trowland admitted they climbed to deliver a message urging the government to stop licensing oil and gas production.
He said, “The goal is to get the government to halt oil and gas licences, which fuel climate change.”
Guilty Verdicts and Jail Await
Trowland, from Islington, and Decker, homeless, denied causing a public nuisance. The jury didn’t buy it and found them guilty after more than two hours of deliberation.
Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody until their sentencing on April 13.
“This court is considering custodial sentences,” the judge warned. “We’re dealing with significant nuisance.”
Mixed Reactions After Verdict
Energy Secretary Grant Shapps welcomed the decision: “The right to protest must not take precedence over the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their daily lives free of selfish and antisocial disruption.”
But Just Stop Oil spokesman Sean Irish slammed the verdict as “quite disappointing.”
“We’ve seen in the Old Bailey that juries can acquit based on conscience. It’s a shame this didn’t happen today.”
“The climate crisis is more terrifying than jail. Young people won’t die for oil barons’ profits.”
“We’re not going down easily. The more the government cracks down on peaceful protests, the more dangerous it becomes.”
