Home | Friday 9th May 2008 | Issue 631

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M1 - NIL

Seven activists arrested last year on their way to a banner-drop against the proposed M1 widening (See SchNEWS 575) had their cases thrown out of court on 1st May. When they were originally busted on their way to the M1 they were held on public order charges, while doors were booted in and phones and computers seized. They were later charged with ‘conspiracy to cause a public nuisance’.

The judge didn’t even wait to hear the defence before kicking the prosecution out at half time saying “there was not one jot of evidence to infer an endangerment of any member of the public”. When the prosecution produced climbing gear seized from people’s homes as evidence Judge Robinson told them that they’d better not be relying on it as he had similar equipment in his own gaff! He resoundingly rejected their argument that the hanging of banners over the motorway would constitute a public nuisance, and went on to say: “all of the available material (presented to the court) is consistent only with peaceful protest.”

Campaign spokesperson Dr Julie White, a GP from Sheffield, said: “this is victory for the right to protest in the face of government policy of expanding roads, runways and coal-fired power stations in a time of climate crisis.”

* The Government is no longer going to be widen the M1. Ha, Ha!

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