Two Just Stop Oil activists face up to three years in prison for an act of vandalism. The judge justified the severe punishment with a deterrent effect.
Two climate activists in England were sentenced to several years in prison on Friday for temporarily closing a major bridge across the Thames. British news agency PA reports that a 40-year-old man has been sentenced to three years in prison. A 34-year-old was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison. They had previously been convicted of disturbing public order.
The two activists from the Just Stop Oil group climbed the pillars of the Thames Bridge in Dartford, east London, in early October last year. The suspension bridge is part of the ring road around the British capital and is one of the busiest traffic routes in the country. The BBC reported that the two men climbed to a height of about 60 metres, using professional climbing equipment. The bridge had to be closed to traffic for 40 hours.
Prevent others from imitating
Judge Shane Colliery at Southend Crown Court justified the harsh sentence with a deterrent effect. “You should be punished for the mess you caused to prevent others from imitating you,” he said at the sentencing hearing, according to the PA.
(APA)
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