Jury convicts environmental protesters over Canary Wharf train stunt
Three Extinction Rebellion protesters who glued themselves to a train have been found guilty “with regret” by a jury in the first crown court trial linked to the environmental demonstrations.
Cathy Eastburn, 52, Mark Ovland, 36, and Luke Watson, 30, were convicted at Inner London Crown Court after halting Docklands Light Railway services at Canary Wharf station.
The trio denied the charges of obstructing a railway on 17 April, saying the stunt was justified because of the threat of the climate crisis.


Watson and Eastburn both climbed on top of the train carriage and glued their hands to the roof, while Ovland glued his hands to the side.
After one hour of deliberations, the jury unanimously found the defendants guilty on 18 December, but the foreman added it was “with regret”.
Read on...
Extinction Rebellion (XR), an activist group whose protesters are urging government action on the climate crisis, claims the trial was the first to be dealt with by a crown court as opposed to a magistrates’ Court.


The trio were released on unconditional bail and will be sentenced by Judge Silas Reid at the same court on 19 December.
They were arrested during two weeks of demonstrations in London organised by the campaign group.
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.