A court in Britain sentenced five activists of the environmental movement Just Stop Oil to prison terms ranging from 1 year 8 months to 2 years in prison for blocking traffic on the London ring road in 2022, according to a press release on the organization’s website.
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“Six Just Stop Oil activists were sentenced today by Judge Collery at Basildon Crown Court… they pleaded guilty to ‘disorderly conduct’ in April,” it said.
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In addition to the activists who received real sentences, another participant in the movement was given a suspended sentence of 1 year 9 months and sentenced to 200 hours of community service, the press release said.
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Previously, five more participants in the movement were sentenced to record terms in this case, receiving from 4 to 5 years in prison.
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During the action, Just Stop Oil activists climbed metal structures for road signs above a major highway for several days in a row, causing the police to block traffic to lower them down. As a result, traffic jams almost 15 kilometers long formed on the road. One day, two trucks collided after a road was closed, injuring a police officer.
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Just Stop Oil activists have been holding protests for several years now, advocating for an end to oil and gas production. They glued themselves to paintings in galleries, threw paint on the buildings of various organizations, and organized other protests and demonstrations that caused traffic disruptions in central London.
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This week, activists held several protests at airports in Europe, resulting in more than ten people being detained.
