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Although I have photographed, filmed and written about many demonstrations and actions over the years, in order to avoid critics or readers questioning whether my reports were influenced by personal beliefs rather than facts, in the past I have resisted the temptation to take part in protests myself.
More recently, however, the systematic failure of governments and world leaders to effectively tackle the climate crisis and biodiversity loss and the severe sentences handed out to climate activists by the UK judiciary system has forced me to question this approach.
As a result, in September 2024, I found myself being arrested alongside fellow Greenpeace activists for blockading Unilever’s London HQ to highlight the company’s role in plastic pollution.
Once I had decided to take part in a protest it was easy to justify joining the Unilever action.
Plastic pollution is out of control globally and an investigation in 2023 by Greenpeace International exposed Unilever as the largest corporate seller of single-use plastic sachets, selling a staggering 1,700 a second.
The demonstration was part of an ongoing campaign coordinated by Greenpeace offices across the world urging Unilever to end the sale of plastic sachets by the end of 2025 and to phase out all single-use plastics within a decade.
By all accounts, the action was successful. Unilever clearly did not enjoy the negative publicity and is now actively engaging with Greenpeace on how it can use its considerable influence to push for a strong Global Plastic Treaty that includes reducing plastic production.
But for me, the act of civil disobedience was not just about environmental advocacy; it was also a stand against the increasing erosion of a fundamental pillar of democracy – our right to protest.
The right to protest is a cornerstone of democracy, enabling citizens to express dissent, advocate for change, and hold power to account. But legislative changes brought in by the last Conservative Government, granting the police broader powers to suppress demonstrations deemed disruptive, have imposed severe restrictions on this freedom.
Of the 35 protesters arrested during the Unilever action, 27 of us were charged with “locking on”, a tactic involving physically attaching oneself to an object or location to prevent removal and a new offence introduced under The Public Order Act 2023 (POA 2023). If convicted we faced unlimited fines and/or up to six months imprisonment.
POA 2023 also included new stop-and-search powers for police in England and Wales, focusing specifically on protest-related activities.
Interfering with the construction or maintenance of major transport projects, such as HS2, now carries a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. And actions that obstruct or significantly delay the operation of essential services, including roads, railways, and power stations, are today punishable by up to 12 months’ imprisonment.
The clamp down on peaceful protest in the UK, under the guise of maintaining public order, not only undermines democratic principles but also deters individuals from participating in activism due to fear of legal repercussions.
In March 2023, the UK was downgraded in an influential Civil Freedoms Index, putting it in the same category as countries like Hungary and South Africa. Previously it had shared a category with France, Germany and other European countries.
Civicus, which compiles the index, said the UK Government was creating a “hostile environment” towards campaigners and civil society.
Michel Forst, a UN rapporteur, has called the UK’s treatment of environmental protesters “terrifying” as arrests, according to a report recently published by the University of Bristol, occur at three times the global average.
Statistics from Just Stop Oil reported by The Guardian and confirmed by Scotland Yard show that the police arrested 630 climate protesters over a period of just four weeks in late 2023.
Whilst reporting for Byline Times at Southwark Crown Court last July, I watched with disbelief as Roger Hallam, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Just Stop Oil (JSO), and his four co-defendants were sentenced to a total of 21 years imprisonment for conspiring to block traffic on the M25 motorway.
During the trial and sentencing, Judge Hehir branded the climate activists as “eco-zealots” and repeatedly shut down any attempt to explain their climate-related motives for taking such action.