On October 17, last year, Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 36, blocked one of the busiest stretches of road in the country during their climate protest.
The pair hung a banner between two pillars of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which connects the M25 in Essex and Kent, and slept in hammocks overnight in subzero conditions.
The road beneath was stopped by police because to concerns about their safety, causing traffic mayhem; they were eventually apprehended after returning the next day.
Trowland and Decker were sentenced to three years and seven months in prison today at Southend Crown Court after being found guilty of producing a public disturbance.
The pair’s activities caused more than a day of gridlock (shown), forcing police to redirect traffic via the Dartford Tunnel while closing the lane on the bridge.
Judge Shane Collery KC, who handed out the sentence today, stated that imprisoning the couple would hopefully dissuade others from participating in similar protests.
‘You need to be punished for the devastation you produced and to dissuade others from following in your footsteps,’ he said.
The judge stated that Trowland, who has six previous protest convictions, had a “leading role,” while Decker has one prior protest conviction.
The judge stated that the couple ‘clearly believed you knew better than everyone else,’ and added, ‘In short, to hell with everyone else.’
By your acts, you caused this extremely essential road to be stopped for 40 hours,’ the court added, noting that the inconvenience impacted “many tens of thousands, some very significantly.
Stephanie Golder, a spokesman for Just Stop Oil, said outside court that she was ‘horrified’ by the penalties.
‘I believe the judge was attempting to set a precedent,’ she explained.
‘He is attempting to dissuade people, but we will not be deterred because we will continue our campaign of resistance until the government agrees to no new oil and gas.
‘It was nothing what I expected. I was emotional and teary.
But what makes me cry is the fact that we will be dealing with millions, if not billions, of climate refugees in the next 20, 30 years.
‘That’s what motivates me, and it’s probably what drives Morgan and Marcus as well.’
According to Prosecutor Adam King, the bridge was closed from 4 a.m. on October 17 last year to 9 p.m. the next day, causing traffic delays as drivers were forced to utilise tunnels instead.
Following an earlier trial at Basildon Crown Court, both defendants were found guilty by unanimous verdicts of producing a public nuisance.
The couple had been detained since their first appearance before magistrates’ court six months ago, on October 20 in Southend.
According to Mr King, the protestors hiked to a position about 200 feet above the road, spread a “giant Just Stop Oil banner,” and “rigged up hammocks and stayed there.”
‘This restriction generated traffic for kilometres around during that time, which we claim was the goal,’ Mr King explained.
He added the men arrived at 5.30 p.m. on October 18 ‘with the assistance of police and a very tall cherry picker crane,’ but the bridge was not restored to traffic until later.
Trowland, of Islington, north London, and Decker, 34, of no fixed address, both denied causing a public disturbance, claiming that their actions were in protest.
According to Essex Police, among those affected by the traffic jam was a “heavily pregnant woman who required immediate medical attention.
Another person missed their best friend’s burial after 35 years, according to the police, and a firm lost more than £160,000 in revenue.
‘He’s able to say this demonstration, and his experience of having spent time in prison, basically symbolises the end of his involvement in this kind of activity,’ said Jacob Bindman, representing Trowland.
‘He has no plans for large-scale disruptive protests in the future.’
He stated that structural engineer Trowland had ‘done his part’ and did not want to spend the rest of his days in and out of prison.
Decker’s representative, Rebecca Martin, stated that the protest ‘wasn’t his idea,’ and that the ‘specialist in climbing’ was not involved in the initial planning process.
She claimed that both Decker, a German citizen with two degrees, and his co-defendant were “trying to act for the greater good in the long run.”
Ms Martin also stated that Decker would not participate in any additional disruptive protests.
However, the judge stated that he observed “no indications” that the defendants were “any less committed to the causes you espouse than before.”
‘This closure generated traffic for miles around,’ Mr King said during the pair’s trial. The incident garnered national headlines because to the disturbance.
Small businesses lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in some cases, people missed funerals for loved ones, and children were left on the side of the road waiting for buses.
He added the men arrived at 5.30 p.m. on October 18 ‘with the assistance of police and a very tall cherry picker crane,’ but the bridge was not restored to traffic until later.
In testimony, Trowland stated, ‘We climbed it to give a warning message and to speak that message through interviews with journalists.’ He stated that the group’s purpose is to persuade the government to discontinue licencing for oil and gas development.
Marcus and I displayed what any two ordinary individuals will do when the death screams of the world become unbearable,’ Trowland said before his sentencing.
‘I cannot enjoy liberty in a world where our government plans to kill people on a large scale. Drilling new oil and gas wells in 2023 implies the death of many of the world’s most vulnerable people. I shall not be a party to that.’
Ms Golder said outside the court that the jail sentences would not deter her from protesting.
‘What Morgan and Marcus accomplished was exceptional, hazardous, and incredibly disruptive,’ said Stephanie Golder. But what should you do if your government refuses to defend its citizens? When it disregards the repeated warnings of global climate scientists. When you know that additional oil and gas exploitation would eventually kill billions of people?’
‘The solution is nonviolent civil resistance. It is what the Suffragettes and Civil Rights groups did. It’s our best hope of achieving the scale of change we require in the time frame we require.’
These severe sentences will not discourage ‘Just Stop Oil. Ten more will be imprisoned where one of us is imprisoned. When they imprison ten of us, a hundred others will stand in their place. We must stand united and bravely against this homicidal government.’
For the time being, that means slowly marching through the streets of London. It is an act of self-respect, of unity, of love, and of necessity. We implore you to join us, since only collectively can we stop the harm caused by new oil and gas. On April 24th, our campaign will resume.’
