A Just Stop Oil supporter who climbed an M25 gantry after an unprecedented 40c heatwave in the UK was found guilty by a jury in Chichester on Thursday 9 January. Abigail Percy Ratcliff took action in July 2022 to demand an end to new licences and consents for oil and gas projects in the UK, something which has subsequently become government policy.
Just Stop Oil: another supporter sentenced
Abigail, 25, a student from London, was among five supporters who blocked the M25 in three places by climbing on the overhead signs after Just Stop Oil declared the M25 a site of civil resistance on 20 July 2022.
The action was prompted by news that UK temperatures had recently topped 40c for the first time ever, causing multiple fires to break out and resulting in the busiest day for the London Fire Brigade since the WWII.
Before taking action in 2022 Abigail said:
The UK crossed the 40 degree threshold yesterday, runways melted, wildfires raged and hundreds died. This is not the new normal, it will keep getting worse until we just stop oil. We must act now. I joined Just Stop Oil because I was worried about my future, about my sister’s future, but I think a lot of us have realised this week that we’re not talking about the future, we’re talking about now, it’s happening today.
Abigail was found guilty of public nuisance, and given an eight month suspended sentence plus £1,500 in costs. She was previously remanded to prison in November 2022 for three and a half months.
Her sentence comes just days after Just Stop Oil supporter Dr Patrick Hart appeared before Judge Mills at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday 7 January after being found guilty in October 2024 of Criminal Damage. He had been disabling petrol pumps at Esso Thurrock Services on the M25 on 24 August 2022. The judge sentenced him to a year in prison.
‘Democracy has failed to protect us’
Speaking prior to the trial Abigail said:
This protest I’m on trial for was back in 2022, during a heatwave that broke temperature records and killed thousands of people in the UK. And the government at the time was planning to approve 100 new licenses for oil exploration in the North Sea, in light of the evidence of the harm it would cause. The most vulnerable among us were killed that summer and the UK government went ahead and approved those licenses anyway, flagrantly denying the evidence that the climate disaster was already a threat to this nation. It was under those circumstances that I took action.
Democracy has failed to protect us. Both the labour and Tory parties are neglecting to take serious action on the climate. We have now passed 1.5 degrees warming over pre-industrial levels. There is absolutely no time for talking about whether it’s okay to block a road. It’s not okay to sell future generations’ futures off for a profit, and that’s exactly what these fossil fuel companies are doing. It’s exactly what our government is allowing them to do. Peaceful protesters are filling our prisons while the real criminals sit in power handing down a death sentence to future generations. We mustn’t go without a fight.
Another of those taking action on 20 July 2022 was Louise Lancaster. She was prosecuted in October 2022 for contempt of court for breaking the M25 protest injunction, but received a suspended sentence. Three others who took action on the same day were also given suspended sentences after being found guilty of public nuisance in May 2024.
However, that was before ‘Lord’ Walney called for Just Stop Oil to be treated like a terrorist organisation and the courts started dishing out multi-year prison sentences for nonviolent action. These disproportionate sentences are being challenged at the court of appeal at the end of this month.
Just Stop Oil will be stepping into action again in 2025. To join a talk or sign up for action, register at juststopoil.org
Featured image supplied
