Why are Just Stop Oil activists receiving such stiff sentences?

There have been several long jail sentences handed out to Just Stop Oil activists in recent weeks.

Roger Hallam received a five-year sentence while four-year terms were imposed on Daniel Shaw, Louise Lancaster, Lucia Whittaker De Abreu and Cressida Gethin.

They were handed down to the five defendants for planning non-violent protests on the M25, part of a campaign by the group aimed at stopping the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.

#juststopoil #climateprotest

[GiacomoSorbi]

How are those "non-violent" acts? They were preventing people from moving, that is akin to restraining people.

[beanhole]

They are blocking roads. Seen multiple videos of ambulances and people trying to go hospital being stopped.

2 years is fine if yoy think avout the potential lives that can be ruined by their actions

[rkisf]

Because they’ve gotten away with it for too long.

[Dogfacedbloke]

Sky positively rejoiced when that guy was given years in jail for putting up leaflets that the judge admitted were lawful. Sick of this BS.

[JigmeDorji-oy]

JSO needs this harsh punishment. Stopping ppl from getting to work messing with their livelyhood and preventing sick ppl getting to hospitals.

[CBFP]

I'm also concerned about their sentences. There not long enough,

[dlmqsd]

Glad to hear it. They have been left unchecked for way too long

[matthewroberts]

About time they got locked up, only should have been longer sentences

[PtolemyJones]

Ironic, given that their civil disobedience meant even more cars running and putting out fumes. Two years seems pretty soft, to me.

[edanzbox]

They can lawfully protest the government, fine, but not stop people going about their day or impede free will for their agenda

[richardhussey-cqse]

They have been warned many times! Now they are getting what is coming too them!

[Tiberiusvonfunk]

Would be suing them for the cost of the policing too

[pymfnbg]

Play a stupid game win stupid prize 😮 🏆

[Rekaert]

The sentences are just, and reflect the national attitude towards these privileged idiots. They could have demonstrated and protested in numerous ways that were legal, but they elected to break the law, repeatedly. Well now they're going to prison for it, and all I see from ordinary citizens is them muttering, "about damn time".

[georgeblackley]

The public need protected from extremists.

[patriciaoreilly]

They went too far 😊 no respect for people.

[milliondogs]

I mean, that guy got 2 years in jail for putting up some stickers citing home office statistics. Maybe talk about that Sky news.

[itzromzy]

lolz bet they weren't smiling when they came out of court

[VALLANCEGAMING]

Because they have been causing chaos for far too long now and for pathetic reasons, stopping people on their way to work, ambulances on their way to emergencies and all that kind of thing

[mark.k]

Wonder how these people feel when freed after 5 years & they realise the world carried on without them. The Glaciers did not melt away, cars still drove on petrol & the weather didn’t change….5 yrs of reflection