Another three Just Stop Oil supporters were found not guilty at Southwark Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday 12 August), three years after slow marching in London to demand an end to new oil and gas licensing.

Just Stop Oil: more not guilty verdicts

On 15 November 2023, Alexis Psyllides, Joseph Clark and Alexander Thornton were among 64 supporters who joined a slow march on Earls Court Road in London. They were arrested and charged with Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, interference with key national infrastructure – an offence which carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.

The three, who represented themselves in court, appeared before Judge Tomlinson at Southwark Crown Court this week. The jury delivered their unanimous not guilty verdict on Wednesday after only one hour’s deliberation. This was the third acquittal of Just Stop Oil supporters who participated in slow marches this year.

Following the verdict, Alexander Thornton, 22, a freelance VFX Artist from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, said:

I am immensely thankful to the jury for listening to the facts and trying our case fairly. To be found to be not guilty of the charges against us feels such an immense relief and privilege.

The action we took in 2023 helped to put fossil fuels on trial and there was a clear verdict: fossil fuels are killing us. There can be no new oil and gas drilling anywhere. The fact that Labour is now appealing that verdict, breaking their manifesto commitments by allowing new oil and gas projects such as Jackdaw and Rosebank is frankly terrifying after this summer of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires. How many people have to die before they will act like the climate crisis is real?

As in previous trials for the Section 7 offence, the defendants had no legal defences, such as reasonable excuse and necessity, available to them. However, the prosecution agreed to the inclusion of some key climate facts in evidence, and the defendants were allowed to talk about the climate crisis in relation to their motivations for taking action.

The jury were asked to consider whether the defendants had caused a significant delay to other road users and if so whether that was their intention or they were reckless as to whether that would have been the result.

The prosecution alleged that the defendants had been responsible for significant delays during the one and a half hours that it took the police to clear the march and arrest the participants. Video footage presented in court showed the traffic backing up along the A4. However, the defendants argued that while there was some delay this was not significant and that the traffic was not at gridlock until the police cordoned the road and blocked them from walking.

Farcical

In presenting their evidence, the defendants each emphasised their desire to draw attention to the climate crisis and that they wanted to achieve minimum disruption for maximum attention. All denied that there was any intention to cause anything more than minor slowing of traffic.

In giving evidence, Alexis Psyllides said:

I saw the severity of the climate disaster. So many are unaware that it’s an existential risk. I could see this is the path we are on and something needed to be done. Three years ago the climate impacts were mainly impacting the global south. Temporal myopia is understandable. There are so many problems now. How can I pay attention to something so far away? So I saw the need to make disruption, otherwise we’ll continue on our path to destruction.

The 2023 Public Order Act was introduced specifically to target climate protest and named groups such as Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, and Insulate Britain as the reason for its introduction. Although hundreds of Just Stop Oil supporters have been charged with the Section 7 offence and are awaiting trial, as a result of the backlog in the courts, this was only the fourth case to be heard since May 2024.

The first person to be convicted of the offence was Stephen Gingell who was jailed for 6 months after pleading guilty in December 2023.

Featured image via Just Stop Oil

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