Campaigners avoid prison for climate protest

Source: Catholic Worker London

Passionist priest Fr Martin Newell, 56, from north London, and Ben Buse, a Christian from Bristol were given suspended sentences last week for their part in a climate change protest at Dover Port in 2021 They were among a group of nine environmental protesters sentenced at Hove Crown Court.

All nine were ordered to pay court costs of £500 t0 £1,000 each, and required to do between 150 - 200 hours of community service, unpaid work. Gwen Harrison also received a suspended sentence.

The nine were part of the Insulate Britain campaign of nonviolent civil resistance undertaken to demand the UK government insulate Britain's cold and leaky homes. This was the fifteenth Insulate Britain jury trial, a number of which have resulted in 'not guilty' verdicts by juries.

Judge Henson said Fr Newell's sentence reflected his extensive list of previous protest related convictions for his witness for peace.

Fr Martin said: "Being arrested, going to court and risking even prison for the truth is part of Christian discipleship. For me as a Passionist it is a way to embrace the cross of Jesus. We are inspired by a long line of those who, like the saints and prophets, have suffered for their faith and convictions at the hands of the state. In first place of course is Jesus, his disciples St Peter and St Paul, reformation martyrs, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King, and many more. We are fortunate in that our punishment is light in comparison. In this time of climate and environmental emergency, Pope Francis in Laudato Si has called us to a global ecological conversion that is urgently needed. This means that Christian witness requires a radical faithfulness. In the next few weeks, I will be praying that God will call more workers to the harvest."

Ben Buse said: "Science documents our warming world and the increases in extreme weather, as well as it's unequal impacts. Christian Aid have reported the devastation already happening. It is a justice issue, a refugee issue, a biodiversity issue. Action is required at all levels. Dover Port was an iconic place to call for government action in the run up to COP 26 in Glasgow. 9,500 people also die of cold, uninsulated homes each winter in the UK. Christian faith requires us to tackle problems at the root. We need structural change, laying the foundations for a just, equitable and sustainable future. A future where creation can heal and be restored, anticipating the the time when all will be righted."

The group point out that this sentencing comes after a series of unprecedented floods, droughts and heat waves have wreaked havoc across the globe, some of which "would be almost impossible without climate change" according to the ;World Weather Attribution initiative' and the UN IPCC report in March warned that only swift and drastic action can avert irrevocable damage.

LINKS

Insulate Britain: www.insulatebritain.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/insulatebritain

Twitter: https://twitter.com/insulatelove

Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC8N5mAeeCLbD-AFUqtPaF0g

London Catholic Worker: www.londoncatholicworker.org