Who is climate activist Roger Hallam jailed for five years?

Five climate activists, including Roger Hallam, co-founder of Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion, were sentenced to hefty prison terms on Thursday in a landmark case. The activists had planned a protest to cause gridlock and block traffic over four days on the M25, a major London highway.

According to Just Stop Oil, the sentences, up to five years in prison, are the harshest ever for a peaceful protest in England. Roger Hallam, 58, Daniel Shaw, 38, Louise Lancaster, 58, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu, 35, and Cressida Gethin, 22, agreed to disrupt traffic by having protesters climb onto gantries over the motorway for four days in November 2022.

Just Stop Oil is known for high-profile and controversial actions. These actions include throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" at the National Gallery, spraying orange paint on Stonehenge, and interrupting major events like Wimbledon. These actions gained substantial media attention but also created critics and legal repercussions for the activists.

Judge Christopher Hehir at Southwark Crown Court delivered a scathing rebuke to the activists during sentencing. He stated, "Each of you crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic, appointing yourselves as sole arbiters of climate change action."

Who is Roger Hallam?

Roger Hallam, born in 1965, is a British environmental activist whose journey from organic farmer to high-profile climate campaigner has been marked by controversy and legal battles. Hallam, raised in a Methodist family, had his early life set the stage for his activism.

In his youth, Hallam was involved in civil disobedience. In 1987, he was arrested for daubing anti-nuclear peace messages on the Ministry of Defence building in London. The following year, he faced legal consequences for painting feminist messages on car advertisement display boards in Birmingham.

In the 1990s, Hallam was involved in cooperative ventures. He opened a vegetarian cafe in Saltley and participated in an organic food cooperative in Hockley while living in communal housing that aligned with his values.

Hallam's transition to full-time activism was catalyzed by personal experience. He attributes the destruction of his business to a series of extreme weather events, linked to climate change.

His academic pursuits led him to King's College London, where he studied for a PhD researching social change through civil disobedience and radical movements. During this time, Hallam's activism became more organized.

In 2017, he participated in actions urging King's College to divest from fossil fuels. He spray-painted messages on campus buildings, which resulted in fines and arrests but also contributed to the university's decision to remove £14 million worth of investments from fossil fuel companies.

Hallam's activism escalated with his involvement in Stop Killing Londoners, an anti-pollution campaign advocating mass civil disobedience. This laid the groundwork for his co-founding of Extinction Rebellion with Gail Bradbrook and Simon Bramwell, a group that gained international attention for its disruptive climate protests.

However, Hallam's approach has been controversial. In 2019, he made comments comparing the Holocaust to other historical atrocities, which led to his expulsion from Extinction Rebellion. He has also faced criticism for his rhetoric around climate change consequences, including controversial statements about sexual violence.

Despite controversies, Hallam remains prominent in climate activism. He co-founded Just Stop Oil and participated in high-profile protests, leading to multiple arrests, including a dawn raid at his home in October 2023.

Organizational statements

Hallam and his co-defendants' sentencing has provoked strong reactions from environmental organizations and scientists. The group behind the planned protest, Just Stop Oil, described the decision as "an obscene perversion of justice."

In a statement issued by the activist group, Bill McGuire, a professor at University College London, criticized the trial and verdict. He called them "a farce" and "a low point in British justice." He particularly disagreed with the judge's characterization of climate breakdown as a matter of opinion and belief. He described it as "completely nonsensical and demonstrates extraordinary ignorance."

Greenpeace UK also weighed in. The organization's programme director, Amy Cameron, called the outcome "a dark day for the right to protest, a pillar of our democracy." She questioned imprisoning individuals for planning peaceful demonstrations while allowing polluting industries to continue unchecked.

Sir David King, the former government's Chief Scientific Adviser, added his voice to the disapproval, labelling the sentences as "disgraceful."

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