Insulate Britain protestors glue themselves together outside the High Court
(Picture: PA)Four Insulate Britainactivists glued themselves together outside the High Court as they faced the possibility of prison over a climate change protest.
Theresa Norton, 63, Dr Diana Warner, 62, El Litten, 35 and Steve Pritchard, 62, all appeared in court on Tuesday over allegaions they breached an injunction in October last year.
It is said they were all part of an Insulate Britain blockade of the M25, defying efforts by National Highways to disrupt the protests.
The four decided to leave court proceedings in the afternoon, sitting outside the famous court building in defiance, and sent a note to judges saying: “The four of us feel we have to continue our resistance today because we don’t want to cooperate with a system which is causing so much death and hardship.”
Lord Justice William Davis issued a warrant for the four protesters, and adjourned the proceedings until 10.30am on Wednesday in order to deal with them.
Later in the afternoon, the four were seen being taken into custody.
A total of 18 protestors were called to appear in court on Tuesday over the M25 demonstrations last Autumn, when injunctions had been imposed by the High Court.
Contempt of Court proceedings against Arne Springorum, 49, Liam Norton, 37, and Jessica Causby, 25, were dismissed by the judges over a motorway protest on November 2 last year.
The other activists - accused over Insulate Britain protests between Junction 28 and 29 of the M25 on October 29 last year - are Ben Taylor, 27; Ben Buse, 36; Biff Whipster, 54; David Nixon, 35; Diana Warner, 62; Ellie Litten, 35; Gabriella Ditton, 28; Indigo Rumbelow, 27; Paul Sheeky, 46; Ruth Jarman, 58; Stephanie Aylett, 27; Stephen Gower, 55; Stephen Pritchard, 62; Rev Sue Parfitt, 79; and Theresa Norton, 63.
National Highways claimed in written arguments that they “endangered the free flow of traffic” or “blocked, endangered, slowed down, prevented and obstructed the free flow of traffic”.
Some protesters in court appeared wearing orange hi-vis vests, while Mr Taylor appeared from the courtroom dock as he continues to serve a six-month prison sentence imposed in November for a different injunction breach.
Representing himself, he told the judges that he had “nothing to hide” and admitted breaching the injunction on October 29.
He said lockdown measures at HMP Thameside meant his prison time was “much more severe”.
Branding the injunction “absurd”, he said his ability to support his pregnant partner was also “severely restricted”.
He told the court: “I find it sickening, sad that people are unnecessarily suffering in their millions… increasingly in this country”, adding that there was a “climate emergency” that “our Government has openly recognised yet is not doing anything even remotely significant about”.
The judges are due to make a final decision on the alleged injunction breaches at 3pm on Wednesday.
