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#section7

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DoomsdaysCW<p>Just Stop Oil activist jailed for six months for taking part in slow march</p><p>Stephen Gingell, 57, thought to be first to receive prison sentence under new Public Order Act</p><p>by Damien Gayle<br>Fri 15 Dec 2023 </p><p>"A <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateActivist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateActivist</span></a> has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to taking part in a peaceful <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SlowMarch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SlowMarch</span></a> protest on a London road.</p><p>"The sentence handed to Stephen Gingell, 57, is thought to be the first jailing under a new law that critics say makes anyone walking in a road liable for prosecution for 'interference with key national infrastructure'.</p><p>"<a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Section7" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Section7</span></a> of the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/PublicOrderAct2023" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PublicOrderAct2023</span></a> bans any act that prevents newspaper printing presses, power plants, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/oil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>oil</span></a> and <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/gas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>gas</span></a> extraction or distribution sites, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/harbours" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>harbours</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/airports" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>airports</span></a>, <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/railways" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>railways</span></a> or <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/roads" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>roads</span></a> 'from being used or operated to any extent', with a potential penalty of 12 months in jail.</p><p>"Gingell, a father of three from <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Manchester" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Manchester</span></a>, was one of about 40 supporters of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/JustStopOil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>JustStopOil</span></a> who spent about 30 minutes marching on <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HollowayRoad" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HollowayRoad</span></a> in north <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/London" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>London</span></a> at about 4pm on 12 November, the climate campaign group said.</p><p>"He pleaded guilty to breach of section 7 at a hearing that same month at Wimbledon magistrates court. On Thursday, his case was transferred to Manchester magistrates court, where he was sentenced to six months.</p><p>"Just Stop Oil has been campaigning since 2022 for the UK government to stop all new fossil fuel production. The campaign’s 'guerrilla tactics' were cited by the Home Office when it introduced the Public Order Act’s tough new <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AntiProtest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AntiProtest</span></a> measures to parliament.</p><p>"Police began using section 7 to tackle Just Stop Oil’s protests at the end of October, arresting 60 people taking part in a march in Parliament Square. In a campaign of slow march protests carried out by the group between then and 4 December, 470 of the group’s supporters were arrested 630 times, with about half of those arrests under the new law.</p><p>"A spokesperson for the campaign said: 'Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, a law drafted by the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/FossilFuel" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FossilFuel</span></a> lobby, was introduced in April by Priti Patel, and covers ‘interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructure’. It seems this government has now made walking down the road, walking on the public highway an illegal act that is worthy of imprisonment.</p><p>"'How many fathers will be imprisoned before those planning to kill us are stopped? New oil and gas will see millions upon millions lose their homes, livelihoods and lives. Protected by the government, by failed politicians, by the police, those committing genocide continue to walk free, those protesting the killings are banged up. Whose side are you on?'</p><p>"The human rights organisation Liberty criticised Gingell’s sentencing. Katy Watts, a lawyer at Liberty, said: “It is shocking to see such harsh sentences handed down to protesters. This is yet another unnecessary and draconian law introduced by a government that is hell-bent on discouraging people from standing up for what they believe in. It is a clear attempt to silence people and for the government to hide from all accountability.</p><p>"Protest is a fundamental right, not a gift from the state. Government should be protecting our right to protest, not criminalising it.'"<br><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/15/just-stop-oil-activist-is-first-to-be-jailed-under-new-uk-protest-law?share=jetpack-whatsapp" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/environment/20</span><span class="invisible">23/dec/15/just-stop-oil-activist-is-first-to-be-jailed-under-new-uk-protest-law?share=jetpack-whatsapp</span></a> </p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigOilAndGas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BigOilAndGas</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/WaterProtectors" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>WaterProtectors</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DirectAction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DirectAction</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CriminalizingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CriminalizingDissent</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/DefendTheForest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>DefendTheForest</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalActivists</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateActivists</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateJustice</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ACAB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ACAB</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Fascism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SilencingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SilencingDissent</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EcoActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EcoActivists</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Censorship" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Censorship</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanRightsViolations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanRightsViolations</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Article20" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Article20</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AbolishTheMonarchy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AbolishTheMonarchy</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/RightToProtest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RightToProtest</span></a></p>
DoomsdaysCW<p>Police make 630 arrests of <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/climate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>climate</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/protesters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>protesters</span></a> in <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/London" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>London</span></a> in one month</p><p>Liberty condemns ‘staggering and shocking’ statistic as <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/AntiProtest" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AntiProtest</span></a> legislation is enacted</p><p>by Sandra Laville and Damien Gayle, December 4, 2023</p><p>"Police have made at least 630 arrests of peaceful protesters campaigning against new <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/OilAndGas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OilAndGas</span></a> production in the past month, as the authorities exploit new powers under the government’s anti-protest legislation.</p><p>"The mass arrests of more than 470 people – some individuals were arrested more than once – was condemned by <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CivilRights" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CivilRights</span></a> group <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Liberty" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Liberty</span></a> as 'staggering and shocking'.</p><p>"The protests involve slow marching along roads and are a form of peaceful civil resistance analogous to the 'freedom' rides in the US in 1961, when individuals protested against segregated public transport, says <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/JustStopOil" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>JustStopOil</span></a>.</p><p>"Evidence gathered by the Guardian over the last four weeks reveals some people have been held in police custody for long periods after arrest.</p><p>"A 23-year-old was arrested within five minutes of joining a demonstration on 13 November, and held for 56 hours in custody before being presented to court, according to his testimony to the Guardian.</p><p>"A 19-year-old student was held for three nights in a London prison despite being given bail by a magistrates court. The student is considering a case of false imprisonment.</p><p>"The protests over the past four weeks coincided with the British government confirming in the king’s speech its plans to grant new <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/NorthSea" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>NorthSea</span></a> oil and gas licences every year.</p><p>"Police are using new powers to make the <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/MassArrests" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>MassArrests</span></a> under section 7 of the Conservative government’s Public Order Act 2023, which bans any action that 'interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure'.</p><p>"According to data gathered by Just Stop Oil and not disputed by the Metropolitan police, almost half of the arrests were carried out under <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Section7" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Section7</span></a>. The offence carries a prison sentence of up to 12 months.</p><p>"The 19-year-old student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was held in a London prison for four nights after his arrest under section 7. After the first night in prison, he appeared by video link for a court appearance. He was bailed by the court, and should have been released. The student was held for a further three nights in a prison cell, according to testimony given to the Guardian.</p><p>"'I consider that I was illegally imprisoned over the three nights of that weekend and will be taking a case of wrongful imprisonment,' the student said.</p><p>"Another 19-year-old student who was arrested and also cannot be named for legal reasons, was held for 50 hours in a London police cell, from a Monday morning to Wednesday at 1pm.</p><p>"She was charged under section 7 of the act after 24 hours in custody, but held for another day-and-a-half in custody before being taken to court.</p><p>"'I remember asking for my medication, and I didn’t get it,' she said. 'I asked multiple times. One of the officers said: ‘Why didn’t you have it with you?’ I said: ‘I didn’t expect to be held for 50 hours in a cell.’ And the officer said: ‘What, after what you have done?’</p><p>"'Like I was a murderer or something, they just wanted me to feel bad.'</p><p>"Jun Pang, a policy and campaigns officer for Liberty, said: 'We all have the right to make our voices heard on the issues that matter to us. The staggering number of people arrested in recent weeks, many under this new legislation, shows just how sweeping and dangerous these powers are. It’s shocking to see hundreds of young protesters criminalised simply for standing up for what they believe in.'</p><p>"Scotland Yard said 630 arrests had been made of Just Stop Oil protesters since 30 October, and 328 people went on to be charged. The rest have been released on police bail.</p><p>"JSO data shows at least 276 people have been charged: at least 125 were charged with blocking key national infrastructure under section 7 and 125 with the lesser offence of wilful obstruction of the highway."</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/04/police-arrest-climate-protesters-london" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/world/2023/dec</span><span class="invisible">/04/police-arrest-climate-protesters-london</span></a></p><p><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SlowMarch" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SlowMarch</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SlowMarches" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SlowMarches</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/BigOilAndGas" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>BigOilAndGas</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/UK" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>UK</span></a> <br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CriminalizingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CriminalizingDissent</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EnvironmentalActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EnvironmentalActivists</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateActivists</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ClimateJustice" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ClimateJustice</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/ACAB" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>ACAB</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Fascism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Fascism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/SilencingDissent" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>SilencingDissent</span></a><br><a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/CorporateColonialism" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CorporateColonialism</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/EcoActivists" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>EcoActivists</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/Censorship" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Censorship</span></a> <a href="https://kolektiva.social/tags/HumanRightsViolations" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HumanRightsViolations</span></a></p>
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