Nine eco-zealots from the Extinction Rebellion splitter group Insulate Britain have been jailed on Wednesday morning for violating an injunction prohibiting the blockading of roads.
The High Court in London on Wednesday sentenced the nine far-left activists to jail terms ranging from three to six months after they pled guilty to violating the injunction by blocking off junction 25 of the M25 on October 8th, Sky News reported.
Ana Heytawin and Louis McKecknie were sentenced to three months behind bars, while Ben Taylor — who has openly announced his intention to continue violating the law — received a six-month sentence. The other defendants received four-month sentences.
The judge in the case said that all of the eco-activists should serve at least half of their terms behind bars, as is typical in the British judicial system.
One of the jailed eco-warriors, 44-year-old Emma Smart vowed to go on a hunger strike during her imprisonment.
In a statement read out on the steps of the High Court following the ruling, an Insulate Britain activist said: “By imprisoning us, the government shows its cowardice. They would rather lock up pensioners than insulate their homes. They would rather lock up teachers than create thousands of proper jobs. They would rather lock up young people than take practical steps to reduce emissions. They will lock us up and leave thousands to die of cold this winter.
“We knew we would face prison when we took this action, but we could not stand by while the government betrays the general public.”
Following the lead of Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain activists have frequently glued themselves to the road in order to maximise the disruption of their protest and to delay police officers removing them from the road.
The road blockades have resulted in some serious injury for people who were prevented from reaching medical care. Insulate Britain figures have attempted to downplay the incidents, likening them to collateral damage during the Second World War.
The stunts have seen pushback from members of the public, who have taken it upon themselves to clear the green radicals from roads.
In response to the court ruling on Wednesday, Brexit leader Nigel Farage wrote: “In a depressing week, some good news at last. 9 Insulate Britain anarchists are jailed!”
Mr Farage has previously accused Insulate Britain of acting like “terrorists”, saying that they are “prepared to risk the lives of other people just because they have this hysterical view that unless we go back and live in caves, billions of people are going to die.”
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