UK court acquits Russian diesel blockade activists as they were stopping terrorist funding
Posted: 4th November 2022
BREAKING: UK court acquits Russian diesel blockade activists as they were stopping terrorist funding
Ten Greenpeace UK activists have been acquitted of aggravated trespass charges earlier today in a verdict which campaigners say should have seismic consequences for UK energy policy.
The activists blocked a tanker carrying 33,000-tonne of Russian diesel in May this year by climbing onto the jetty at Navigator Terminals, Essex, where the vessel had been due to dock. Appearing in Chelmsford Magistrates Court last Thursday, the activists pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated trespass on grounds that imports of Russian fossil fuels have funded the Russian government’s state terrorism in Ukraine.
The judge’s ruling was founded on the basis that Russia’s actions in Ukraine could amount to terrorism as defined by UK law and that the activists were stopping an illegal activity – namely the funding of terrorism. This is the first time that a UK court has accepted the argument that Russia’s war in Ukraine ‘could be described as terrorism’.
A government ban on the import of Russian oil is due to kick in at the end of the year, ten months after the start of the war in Ukraine. But Greenpeace UK is now calling on ministers to bring the ban forward and extend it to all fossil fuel imports from Russia.
Several expert witnesses for the defence testified on how revenues from oil and gas exports are a key funding stream for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. In the first six months since the start of the invasion, Russia is estimated to have made €158 billion from its oil and gas exports, with €43 billion going into Russia’s federal budget. Back in May, Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov publicly stated that revenue from the export of oil will be used in part to fund the “special operation” in Ukraine.
Commenting on the verdict, one of the activists, Zoe Pontida, a teacher from Oxford, said:
“This is a seismic verdict. It doesn’t just fully vindicate our action, it also puts the UK government squarely in the dock. The judge has recognised that we are just ordinary people whose conscience compelled us to stop the oil funding Putin’s campaign of state terrorism in Ukraine. With every new town flattened by bombs and every new war crime being uncovered, the reason for stopping the flow of money to the Kremlin’s death machine has grown stronger. We did what the UK government should have done months ago but failed to do. The very least ministers should do now is to bring forward the ban on Russian oil imports, extend it to all Russian fossil fuels, and make sure the UK is no way involved in funding Putin’s terror in Ukraine.”
Another activists, Mike Grant, a former paratrooper and lieutenant colonel, said:
“This is a fantastic result. This verdict is not just a relief for us but a complete vindication of the ethical beliefs that led us to act. I’ve been in the military for a quarter of a century and I’m not easily shocked. But the sheer horror unleashed by Putin’s army in Ukraine still haunts me now as it did when the war started. Entire towns reduced to rubble, thousands of people lying dead or wounded – not to mention the mass graves and war crimes. I just couldn’t believe that all this devastation was partly funded by Russian oil being imported into the UK. How on earth was that allowed to happen? We couldn’t just stand by and watch – we had to do something about it. I hope this will inspire other people to make a stand.”
The activists on trial are Mike Grant, Benji Bailes, Rhiannon Wood, Ben Hearne-Salter, David James, Henry Rayner, Kim Harrison, Lyndall Stein, Zoe Pontida, and Ian Mills.
ENDS
GUILTY
We stand by our actions, say activists found guilty after blocking Russian diesel tanker
Ten Greenpeace UK activists have been found guilty of aggravated trespass charges at Chelmsford Magitrate Court [earlier today].
The activists blocked a tanker carrying 33,000-tonne of Russian diesel in May this year by climbing onto the jetty at Navigator Terminals, Essex, where the vessel had been due to dock. Appearing in court [earlier this week], the activists pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated trespass on grounds that imports of Russian fossil fuels have funded the Russian government’s state terrorism in Ukraine.
But the judge found them guilty of aggravated trespass and sentenced them to XXX.
Commenting on the verdict, Greenpeace UK energy and climate campaigner Mel Evans said:
“Our activists have been found guilty but their conscience is clear. Fossil fuel exports have been a major source of funding for Putin’s death machine in Ukraine. With every new town flattened by bombs and every new war crime being uncovered, the reason for stopping the flow of money to the Kremlin’s death machine has grown stronger. Our activists stepped in to fill the moral vacuum caused by the UK government’s dithering. They stand four-square by the ethical motivations that led them to take action. The UK government has promised an oil ban by the end of the year, but why wait so long? Ministers should bring forward the ban on Russian oil import, extend it to all Russian fossil fuels, and make sure the UK is no way involved in funding Putin’s terror in Ukraine.”
Greenpeace UK’s lawyers called in several expert witnesses to explain how revenues from oil and gas exports are a key funding stream for the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine. In the first six months since the start of the invasion, Russia is estimated to have made €158 billion from its oil and gas exports, with €43 billion going into Russia’s federal budget. Back in May, Russian finance minister Anton Siluanov publicly stated that revenue from the export of oil will be used in part to fund the “special operation” in Ukraine.
In September, the International Working Group on Russian Sanctions declared the Russian Federation a State Sponsor of Terrorism. Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and the US have all started to introduce legislation to designate the Russian invasion of Ukraine as state terror.
ENDS