‘The public can expect to see renewed and radical disruptive action in the months ahead,’ one protest expert says after Just Stop Oil activists sentenced to four and five years in prison
By: Greg Barradale
The lengthy prison terms imposed on Just Stop Oil activists have generated widespread backlash, with 61% of the public viewing the four and five-year sentences as excessive, according to a Social Change Lab poll. These activists, convicted of planning disruptive actions in the M25, received the harshest sentences ever imposed on peaceful protesters in the UK, which Gina Romero, UN Special Rapporteur, called “disproportionate” and a bad example globally. Academics warn that these punitive measures may not deter activism, but rather intensify it, by encouraging more radical action in the face of heightened risks.
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