On 25 February, the ten East Midlands activists who shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power station in early 2007 were found guilty by Nottingham magistrates court, and fined. (See PN2494.)
The defendants had been allowed to enter a “defence of necessity”, arguing that their action was lawful because of the perilous circumstances caused by CO2 emissions.
The judge said that shutting down a power station was “a step too far”, and that “necessity can easily become simply a mask for anarchy”.
Fundraising has begun for the £2530 in fines and costs imposed (chocolate cake was on sale outside the court).
Andrew Woodcock, one of the defendants, said: “We're glad the magistrate found a direct link between climate chaos and power station emissions, but disappointed he felt it was the government's responsibility to put things right. We feel that as the government is not doing enough, it's our responsibility to take action.”