UK prisons hosting a record number of activists this Christmas

Nineteen protestors from Just Stop Oil are currently stuck behind bars, with an additional 10 being held on remand.

Of them, five were arrested for plotting to disrupt London’s busy M25 motorway, while two received 18-month sentences for throwing tomato soup on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the National Gallery.

The UN’s expert on environmental defenders, Michel Forst, labelled the UK’s legal approach to peaceful protests ‘terrifying.’ A recent report found the UK arrests environmental protestors at nearly three times the global average.

‘This crackdown shows a deep misunderstanding of why people protest,’ said leading barrister Michael Mansford KC. ‘If freedom of speech and peaceful assembly are to mean anything, the government and courts need to rethink their approach.’

Despite all this criticism, the government has continued to defend its actions. Policing Minister Diana Johnson said, ‘People have a democratic right to protest peacefully, but they must follow the law.’

Though most people’s daily lives are generally unaffected by such demonstrations – at the most, commutes are inconvenienced – a significant portion of British public is said to hold disdain for large-scale public protests.

Take, for example, a YouGov poll conducted back in October. The survey found that almost three-quarters of people believed the sentences given to Just Stop Oil protesters were ‘about right’ (37 percent) or ‘not harsh enough’ (36 percent).

BREAKING: Eight people were remanded to prison at Westminster Magistrates, accused of dismantling Israel’s biggest weapons firm.

Many were still smiling, showing the state failed to break their spirit.

There are now 22 Palestine Action political prisoners in Britain. pic.twitter.com/KcKgBQt81r

— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) November 23, 2024

Among those spending Christmas in jail is 22-year-old Anna Holland, imprisoned for partaking in the National Gallery protest.

From Send Prison in Surrey, Holland described life in jail as difficult and scary, but they urged others on the outside to continue protesting.

As many as 21 people are in prison for attending pro-Palestinian protests.

They face charges like aggravated burglary and grievous bodily harm after breaking into arms factories supplying Israel to sabotage future shipments of weapons. Their trials are set for next year.

Without significant progress on social justice and positive change, movements like Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion, and Free Palestine are unlikely to disappear.

Activists, especially those who are dedicated their lives to a specific cause, will hardly be deterred by threats of arrest. After all, there’s power in numbers.