Just Stop Oil supporters guilty of planning a protest

Four Just Stop Oil supporters have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance, with a fifth person being acquitted by a jury at Manchester Crown Court.

Daniel Knorr (23), Margaret Reid (54), Indigo Rumbelow (30) and Ella Ward (22) received a majority guilty verdict. They were arrested in the early hours of 5 August 2024 as they left a BnB in Gatley Close to head to Manchester Airport. Noah Crane (19), who was arrested later on 5 August at his home in Birmingham, was acquitted.

All five were charged with conspiracy and held in prison on remand until 4 February when bail was granted on the second day of the trial.

Sentencing has been adjourned until 23 May for pre-sentencing reports and bail has not been granted.

Just Stop Oil: another four guilty

In the 15-day trial before Judge MacAdam, four defendants freely admitted planning to access the airport via the perimeter fence and then if possible three would glue on to the taxiway. They made the case that they were seeking to prevent harm and inform the public of the huge risks now unfolding due to the collapsing climate. That this is no longer a problem for future generations, but our problem happening now.

Noah Crane, the fifth defendant, chose not to enter the witness box, although each of his co-defendants gave evidence that he was not involved in the planning of the action and they had told him nothing. His only link to the action was, when requested, to purchase four phones, unaware of what they would be used for.

All defendants had the legal defences of necessity and reasonable excuse withdrawn by Judge MacAdam. Ella Ward additionally had self defence withdrawn on the basis that there was ‘no immediate threat.’ They were left only with the defence of denying the indictment. This meant no expert scientific evidence was heard by the jury.

A judge’s admission

The prosecution presented evidence of an imaginary scenario in which flights were disrupted and the police Protest Removal team took two hours to arrive before removing any Just Stop Oil supporters ‘glued on’.

Prosecution witness PC Ben Rigby, the officer in charge of Manchester’s protest response, testified that if the defendants had accessed the airport, the police would not use ‘blue lights’ when responding, and would go through the full security clearance to get ‘airside’. While the Head of Airport Security, Mr Tim Cook indicated that there could be ‘flexibility’ around security clearance for the responding police security team, but neither confirmed or denied vulnerabilities in the CCTV coverage of the airport perimeter.

Judge MacAdam, during legal hearings at the start of the trial, informed the defendants that due to the workload of his position he did not read a great deal about climate science and was therefore neutral.

If you knew a disaster was going to happen…

The following statement was issued on behalf of the defendants after the verdict

We thank the jury for their service and accept their decision. The acquittal of Noah Crane calls into question the six months he was forced to serve on remand at the age of 18. Physics doesn’t care if we were acquitted or not – all that matters now is how hot our world gets and how quickly. The unfolding horror of climate collapse is the future that awaits us, our children and our children’s children.

During the trial Judge MacAdam said “if you knew a disaster was going to happen you would take steps to warn people” – we took those steps and have been found guilty, the bigger crime would have been not to act. The government is not taking the steps needed to protect us, to avoid total ruin. We call on them to act, to address the real security threat and do what is necessary to defend our future.

Daniel Knorr issued a statement saying:

In the second week of trial Judge MacAdam sought clarification from me, asking “If you knew a disaster was going to happen you would take steps to warn people wouldn’t you?

Wasn’t that exactly what I was trying to do? The British legal system knows the stark reality we face and seemingly understands the commonsense response to such reality. Yet again and again it is those seeking to stop the harm who end up in the dock and those profiting from destruction who are protected.

Just Stop Oil: courts are ‘out of step’

A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:

Yet again our courts have demonstrated that they are out of step with what is happening in the real world. A world of increased heating, panicking scientists and oblivious politicians. We risk ruin and judges and legal experts discuss the finer points of necessity and reasonableness. None of this is reasonable. All those who took part in the prosecution of Just Stop Oil supporters deserve our sympathy, the guilt that they experience due to the collapse of our living world will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

Indigo Rumbelow and Margaret Reid represented themselves. Ella Ward sacked her barrister during the second week of the three week trial. Noah Crane and Daniel Knorr had legal representation.

2024 Just Stop Oil successfully won its original demand of ‘no new oil and gas’. Now the courts agree that new oil and gas is unlawful.

Just Stop Oil supporters are on the right side of history and non-violent civil resistance works. Just Stop Oil will once again be stepping into action this April to demand that governments commit to an international treaty to phase out the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.

You can help make this happen by coming to a talk and signing up for action at juststopoil.org

Featured image via Just Stop Oil