Climate change is one of the biggest existential threats we face and citizens are exercising their right to peacefully protest against the Government inaction that is contributing towards it.
Yet climate change protesters are receiving increasingly harsh treatments from the police, Government and judicial system, including more convictions, and prison sentences for minor breaches of court rules.
Inner London Crown Court has been ordering climate protesters not to refer to climate change and fuel poverty when they speak about their rationale for protesting in front of a jury. A number of protestors who have spoken out and mentioned why they were protesting, have been found to be in contempt of court and given a custodial sentence of several weeks. This is an extraordinary approach being taken by the Court. We think it is draconian and wrong.
Amy Pritchard and Giovanna Lewis were on trial for causing a public nuisance after sitting in the road to block traffic between Bishopsgate and Wormwood Street in Central London on 25 October 2021. Jurors failed to agree a verdict on their trial but the protesters were found in breach of a court order preventing them from referring to climate change and fuel poverty in evidence. They were given seven-week prison sentences.
Good Law Project is supporting these two individuals to appeal their findings of contempt of court because we are deeply concerned about the silencing of protesters in this way. These are the latest in a series of similar cases working their way through the courts. Protestors should be able to explain the reasons for their actions to the jury and not be criminalised and sent to prison for doing so.
Help us stop the silencing of peaceful protestors.
Donate nowThroughout history, protests have been a driving force behind some of the most significant and positive shifts forward in social progress - from abolishing slavery, giving women the right to vote, and achieving marriage equality. But the right to peaceful protest has been suppressed recently, with climate change protesting being at the centre of much of the debate.
The directions given by the Inner London Crown Court in these cases are the latest in a series of repressive measures that limit protest rights. Concerned citizens could be deterred from speaking up about the devastating impact of climate change by the threat of prosecution and imprisonment.
Help us defend the rights of protesters and the essential freedoms that hold up our fragile democracy.
Donate nowDetails
Good Law Project is supporting Amy Pritchard and Giovanna Lewis. Their solicitors are Raj Chada of Hodge, Jones & Allen and their counsel are Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC (Matrix Chambers) and Owen Greenhall (Garden Court Chambers). The legal team is acting at significantly below market rates.
10% of the sums raised for this will go to Good Law Project so that we can continue to use the law to create a better, fairer, and greener future for the UK. It is our policy to only raise sums that we reasonably anticipate could be spent on this litigation. Any money raised will go towards funding the legal costs of these protestors and, if for some reason we don’t spend all the money raised on this case, the donations will go towards supporting other environmental litigation.
We have reached our initial £25,000 target. Thank you to all the supporters who have helped us achieve this within only a few hours.
We are now raising towards a £50,000 stretch target to allow us to cover part of the costs of engaging a specialist protest lawyer at Good Law Practice.
Can't donate right now? Just sharing this page with your friends and family and encouraging them to donate could help us raise and secure the funding we need to support Amy Pritchard and Giovanna Lewis.