Two climate activists have blocked an important traffic axis near London.
Now the court is imposing harsh prison sentences – also as a deterrent.
Dartford – Two climate activists were sentenced to several years in prison in Great Britain on Friday (April 21).
At the beginning of October last year, the two men from the “Just Stop Oil” climate movement blocked an important Thames bridge in Dartford – east of London.
The bridge had to be closed to traffic for 40 hours.
Now a 40-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison, the British news agency
PA
reported .
A 34-year-old, who is German according to
the BBC
, faces two years and seven months in prison.
The climate activists were found guilty by the court of disturbing public order.
Climate activists block important bridge: Long prison sentence as a deterrent
Using climbing gear, the men climbed about 60 meters onto the piers of the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge on October 17, 2022,
the BBC
reported .
There they unfurled a banner that read “Just stop oil”.
The suspension bridge is part of the ring road around London and is one of the busiest traffic routes in Great Britain.
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The two activists were not only sentenced to several years in prison because of their violation.
It is also intended to act as a deterrent.
"They need to be punished for the mess they've made so that others are discouraged from imitating them," Judge Shane Collery said at the sentencing hearing.
He emphasized: The action affected "several tens of thousands of people, some of them significantly".
"Hardest sentence" - climate activist from Germany has to go to prison
Police referred a heavily pregnant woman who required medical attention during the bridge blockade,
the BBC
reported .
In addition, during the lockdown, a child had no access to his medication.
Another person reportedly missed a friend's funeral.
The Essex police described the action of the climate activists as "dangerous".
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This undated video still provided by Essex Police shows Just Stop Oil activists Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker scaling a Thames bridge.
© Essex Police/PA Media/dpa
According to the Just Stop Oil group, it is “the toughest condemnation for peaceful climate action in the UK”.
The 40-year-old has already been sentenced six times for previous protests.
The 34-year-old German had previously been convicted.
In April 2022, the climate movement began its protest actions.
For example, last year activists sprayed several important buildings in London with orange paint.
In doing so, they want to ensure that the British government imposes a freeze on all new oil and gas projects.
According to their own statements, there have been more than 2,000 arrests so far.
138 activists were arrested.
There was also a record sentence recently for activists of the “Last Generation”.
(kas/dpa/AFP)
List of rubrics: © Essex Police/PA Media/dpa