Bradford woman is acquitted after Just Stop Oil protest

Jane Thewlis, 61, of Westfield, Thornton appeared before Stratford Magistrates' Court on December 5.

She faced a charge of wilful obstruction of the highway on October 13, 2022, at St George’s Circus, London.

She was acquitted and the case was dismissed.

Just Stop Oil is a British environmental activist group that often causes disruption to traffic and uses civil resistance to raise awareness for climate action.

Supporters are demanding that the UK Government immediately halt all future licences and consents for fossil fuel exploration in the UK.

Thewlis said: “It’s good to be found not guilty for a totally peaceful action intended to pressure the Government to take action to prevent the multiple disasters we are currently heading for.

“I am extremely concerned about the lack of action from Government about the biggest crisis we face today: climate breakdown.

“The secretary general of the United Nations has said ‘we are on the highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator’."

She added: "It is absolutely possible to put our foot on the brakes and instead accelerate into a safe and healthy future for all, but we must make this switch now to a world powered by renewable energy, where we prioritise the needs of the majority and the most vulnerable in the world, where we share power and resources fairly to benefit us all.”

Thewlis, who appeared with six co-defendants, said the action was found to be proportional under Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

She added: “We know that climate breakdown means massively increased flooding, heatwaves, drought, storms that lead to a lack of crops and livestock meaning lack of food. Severe weather events cause homelessness.

"Many people in Bradford have roots in Pakistan; they will know that in Pakistan they are still devastated by the floods of 2022 that caused at least 1,700 deaths and 33 million to become homeless.”