Two UK climate protestors jailed for climbing bridge, delaying traffic
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Trowland is sentenced to three years in prison by Judge Shane Collery at Southend Crown Court while Decker is scheduled for two years and seven months.
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A screenshot from video footage of the Just Stop Oil protest on the Queen Elizabeth II bridge by both protestors in October 2022 (Essex Police)
After climbing the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge in October over the River Thames, climate protestors Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker were jailed on Friday.
Both protestors caused the bridge to shut down from 4:00 am on October 17 to 9:00 pm the next day, which in turn caused major traffic jams. The bridge is used by approximately 160,000 vehicles a day and connects to one of Europe's busiest motorways.
Trowland was sentenced to three years in prison by Judge Shane Collery at Southend Crown Court while Decker was sent to two years and seven months.
Trowland's lawyer, Jacob Bindman, promised the court that his client "doesn't intend to undertake any large-scale disruptive protests in the future".
Read next: Just Stop Oil activists spared jail over Formula One protest
"You have to be punished for the chaos you caused and to deter others from copying you," the judge said, suggesting to the pair, which belonged to the Just Stop Oil protest group that they "plainly believed you knew better than everyone else".
"By your actions you caused this very important road to be closed for 40 hours," he scolded them.
The protestors have been in custody since October 20 after climbing the bridge and hanging a giant "Just Stop Oil" banner. Campaign group members remain protesting against environment-damaging policies across Europe.
According to Essex Police, a "heavily pregnant woman who needed urgent medical help" was delayed, another individual missed the funeral of their best friend of 35 years, and a business lost more than £160,000 (nearly $200,000) in profits.
Just last Tuesday, environmental protestors from Just Stop Oil disrupted the World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, UK, by throwing orange powder paint over a table, asking the UK government to halt all new fossil fuel projects.
This comes as the EU struggles to tackle Europe's climate change crisis, leaving the enforcement of biodiversity laws which are due to be finalized before the European Parliament elections next year out on a limb.
