Friday 29th April 2022, 1:30pm
At midday today 11 supporters of Insulate Britain halted proceedings at both Crawley and Stratford Magistrates Courts as our campaign of nonviolent civil resistance at the courts continued for a second time this week. [1][2]
Biff Whipster, 54, former Retail Worker from Canterbury live streamed to Facebook from the courtroom while his plea hearing was in session, prompting the sitting judge to leave and the courtroom to be cleared. Other supporters inside Stratford Magistrates Court ‘glued on’ onto the doors of the courtroom and the waiting area. [3]
At the same time outside, Gabby Ditton, 28, a graphic designer from Norwich, and Cathy Eastburn, 54, a mother from South London, sprayed the front of Stratford Magistrates Court with fake blood and Tracey Mallaghan, a mother and spokesperson for the campaign from Milton Keynes, glued her hand to a police van that had arrived to transport supporters arrested inside the court building. [3]
A further two supporters at Crawley Magistrates held up proceedings by refusing to comply with the court. They refused to give their names and to move out of the ‘dock’ in court when asked.
Speaking today Gabby Ditton said;
“The Government is planning to starve my generation to death so I can’t think of anything else I should be doing right now than raising the alarm at every opportunity. Our government is taking us down a path to societal collapse and the UK Judiciary is currently complicit in it. Judges and magistrates are making a mockery of the rule of law by criminalising ordinary people desperately trying to uphold the right to life.”
Speaking to the court today Biff Whipster said;
“I went out on the road with Insulate Britain because of the people who are dying in the UK from fuel poverty and that has only got worse due to the increase in Cost of Living.
This court is complicit in supporting a treasonous government, a government that does not care about its citizens.
Human civilisation is on borrowed time, the United Nations Secretary General has stated that ‘we’ are not the criminals, the criminals are our governments that are complicit and failing to act in line with science.
The people in this courtroom and the police are complicit in propping up a corrupt and genocidal system.We are regular people, I do not want to be sitting in a road and I don’t want to be here in the court. I am nonviolent and peaceful.”
The civil resistance taking place at Stratford and Crawley Magistrates today follows a similar event which took place at Stratford Magistrates Court on Tuesday which resulted in Dr Diana Warner, Liam Norton and Ana Heyatawin being arrested for Criminal Damage rather than being found in Contempt of Court, an offence that prevents photographs being taken inside sitting courtrooms. [4][5]
Insulate Britain supports the actions of the Just Stop Oil supporters at Service Stations close to the M25 yesterday which saw 2 petrol stations being closed due to damage to petrol pumps. We support young people joining the resistance to ensure their government protects their futures and we hold that their actions taken yesterday were both proportionate and necessary. [6]
END
Journalists are warmly invited to join us in court on the dates below. Please contact 07737 457105 in advance to arrange an interview.
Stratford Magistrates 9:30 & 14:00 on 29th April
Crawley Magistrates 14.00 29th April
Stratford Magistrates
9:30 on 3rd May
9:30 & 13:30 on 6th May
9:30 on 10th May
9:30 & 13:30 on 13th May
9:30 on 17th May
10:00 & 14:00 on 20th May
10:00 on 27th May
9:30 on 31st May
Chelmsford Magistrates
9:30 & 13:30 on 26th May
9:30 & 13.30 on 27th May
Press contact: 07737 457105
Email: insulatebritainpress@protonmail.com
High quality photos and video footage available here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Kucq-NfhnZLGJWwLx1HX03cWR7M9Y2-m
Website: https://www.insulatebritain.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/insulatebritain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/insulatelove
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8N5mAeeCLbD-AFUqtPaF0g
Notes to Editors
[1] 11 Supporters involved; Stephen Pritchard, 62, Parish Councillor and maintenance worker from Bath, Cathy Eastburn, 54, musician and Mother from South London, Oliver Rock, 41, carpenter from South London, Tracey Mallaghan, a Mother and spokesperson for the campaign from Milton Keynes, Tim Speers, 36, volunteer from North London, El Litten, 35, web programmer from London, Michelle Charlesworth, Amy Pritchard, 37, a care worker from London and Karen Wildin.
[2] In total 57 supporters have been summoned to appear in court today for plea hearings relating to M25 and Dover roadblocks last year. 24 supporters have been summoned to appear at Crawley Magistrates Court and 33 supporters have been summoned to Stratford Magistrates Court. The charges being held today are 53 charges of ‘Caused a Public Nuisance’ and 4 charges of ‘Wilful Obstruction of the Highway’.
[3] A recording of the livestreams from court today will shortly be available to view on our Press Selection here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Kucq-NfhnZLGJWwLx1HX03cWR7M9Y2-m?usp=sharing
[4] https://juststopoil.org/press/
[5] https://www.insulatebritain.com/open-letter-to-the-uk-judiciary
[6] Arrests took place in response to the actions at Cobham and Clackett Lane Service Stations, 35 people have been released on bail, but eight people are still being held by police, who are seeking to put them before a judge later today.
There names of the eight still being held are – Amber Alexander, Benjamin Buse, Bethany Mogie, Louis Hawkins, Louis McKechnie, Nathan McGovern, Rosa Sharkey, Xavier Gonzalez Trimmer
Read more here: https://juststopoil.org/2022/04/28/breaking-just-stop-oil-disrupts-service-stations/
[7] About Insulate Britain
Insulate Britain is a campaign group that is calling on the UK government to put in place policy and funding for a national home insulation programme starting with all social housing.
We demand the Prime Minister and the government to #getonwiththejob, face up to their responsibility and lead our country through the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis.
We are ordinary people with simple and achievable demands to #INSULATEBRITAIN
The UK government must immediately promise to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation and retrofit of all social housing in Britain.
We demand a national home insulation strategy that gives British people the justice they deserve: a future for our loved ones, lower energy bills and safer living conditions.
We are scared: our livelihoods are at risk and the futures of our children are uncertain
The Climate Crisis is a threat to all: we demand the government to act now.
Our Demands
1. That the UK government immediately promises to fully fund and take responsibility for the insulation of all social housing in Britain by 2025;
2. That the UK government immediately promises to produce within four months a legally binding national plan to fully fund and take responsibility for the full low-energy and low-carbon whole-house retrofit , with no externalised costs, of all homes in Britain by 2030 as part of a just transition to full decarbonisation of all parts of society and the economy.
Further information about Insulate Britain and our demands here: https://www.insulatebritain.com/
Technical Report on home energy efficiency here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jt5FI-kinEXoqZtPDrCvnAVQ2EFn8Aea/view
Insulate Britain ‘Blue Lights’ policy: our policy is, and has always been to move out of the way for emergency vehicles with ‘blue lights’ on.