Nine Insulate Britain Activists Have Been Jailed

Nine activists from the climate action group Insulate Britain have been jailed at the High Court for breaching a government injunction that was specifically designed to keep them from blockading roads motorways in protest.

The climate activists, who - above all - are calling upon Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government to insulate the homes of Britain, defied an injunction and continued to protest by blocking off the M25.

The activists have been sentenced to between three and six months in prison after they broke that injunction to blockade London's circular motorway.

PA

Most of the activists have received four-month jail terms, although it has been reported that 27-year-old Ben Taylor has received a six-month sentence, increased after he claimed that he would trespass onto the motorway again if not jailed.

Dr Ben Buse, 36, Ana Heyatawin, 58, Louis McKechnie, 20, Roman Paluch-Machnik, 28, Oliver Roc, 41, Emma Smart, 44, Tim Speers, 36, James Thomas, 47, were also sentenced to prison.

Taylor told the High Court that unless jailed he would 'go out and block the highway at the earliest opportunity'.

He added: "And I will continue to do so until the government makes a meaningful statement and f***ing acts on it.

"If you send me away to prison, 10 people will step forward in my place,"

PA

"If you send each of us away, 100 people will step forward and take our places. If you send 100 of us away, 1,000 people will step forward to take our place.

"If you somehow manage to stop all non-violent protests, then things will only turn violent."

The group's campaign calls firstly on the government to insulate all homes in Britain, starting with social housing, by 2030.

Their aims, despite being reasonable and undoubtedly helpful to the fight against climate change, have divided public opinion because of their methods, which have included not only blocking roads, but also protesters supergluing themselves to highways and police vehicles.

PA

Doing so would work as a first step towards tackling the climate crisis.

174 people have so far been arrested 857 times according to the group's own figures.

The campaign has seen motorways blocked in London and the South East, but more recently in Manchester and Birmingham too.

Topics: UK News, climate change, Prison, Protest

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a LADbible journalist and Twin Peaks enthusiast. Despite having a career in football cut short by a chronic lack of talent, he managed to obtain degrees from both the University of London and Salford. According to his French teacher, at the weekend he mostly likes to play football and go to the park with his brother. Contact Tom on [email protected]

@TPWagwim