HUNDREDS of activists held a silent protest outside Southwark Crown Court today to demand the release of political prisoners and the removal of paid lobbyist and “extremism adviser” Lord Walney.
Activists from groups including Just Stop Oil (JSO), Palestine Action and Extinction Rebellion transformed the road into a photographic exhibition of political prisoners around the world.
Campaigners are demanding that Attorney General Richard Hermer agrees to a public meeting to discuss ending the jailing of those taking peaceful action.
Inside the court, Judge Christopher Hehir, who handed five JSO activists prison sentences totalling 21 years in July, jailed another two activists from the group.
Phoebe Plummer received two years and Anna Holland 20 months for throwing soup over Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery.
Twenty-month community orders were also handed to Chiara Sarti and Daniel Hall for slow marching along a west London road for 20 minutes.
Earlier this year, protesters’ rights were eroded when they were stripped of their ability to rely on beliefs and motivation as a defence.
There are currently 41 peaceful protesters locked up in the midst of the prisons crisis, with 20 held on remand and 21 sentenced for a year or more for non-violent protest actions.
Many trials have taken place amid lobbying by “independent adviser” Lord Walney, who has been calling for groups such as Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil to be banned.
He is also a paid adviser to Rud Pederson, whose clients include oil and gas giant Glencore, and the Purpose Business Coalition, whose members include BP.
The peer also chairs the Purpose Defence Coalition, which includes Leonardo, an arms firm with extensive links to the Israeli government.
Tim Crosland of Defend Our Juries said: “The recent trend of imprisoning people taking acts of conscience is unprecedented in the UK.
“Historically, we are not a country that locks up those raising the most pressing moral questions of our time.
“The arms and oil industries are corrupting democracy to preserve their vast profits, including by drafting and lobbying laws to silence and jail those who resist them.
“We’re urging people to be alert to what’s going on. This affects everybody.”
