“a non-violent civil resistance group demanding the UK Government stop licensing all new oil, gas and coal projects.”
“32. The on-line edition of The Daily Mail for9 March 2024 included a story about an undercover journalist who had successfully infiltrated a JSO meeting in Birmingham earlier that week. Apparently the meeting had been attended by over 100 activists. The following text is an extract from that story:- “At the meeting, which was attended by an undercover reporter, JSO co-founder Indigo Rumbelow was greeted by cheers as she told the audience: 'We are going to continue to resist. We're going to ratchet it up. ' We're going to take our non-violent, peaceful demonstrations to the centre of the carbon economy. We're going to be gathering at airports across the UK.' Ms Rumbelow, the 29-year-old daughter of a property developer, has previously been arrested for conspiracy to cause public nuisance during the King's Coronation and made headlines last year when Sky News host Mark Austin had to beg her to 'please stop shouting' during an interview. Outlining a blueprint for causing travel chaos, she advocated: ● Cutting through fences and gluing themselves to runway tarmac; ● Cycling in circles on runways; ● Climbing on to planes to prevent them from taking off; ● Staging sit-ins at terminals 'day after day' to stop passengers getting inside airports. Miss Rumbelow told the crowd: 'We're going to be saying to the Government: 'If you're not going to stop the oil, we're going to be doing it for you.’ She cited similar protests to use as inspiration for their action, including Hong Kong students 'gathering in sit-ins in the entrances to airports, closing and disrupting them, day after day' during their protests against Chinese rule in 2019.”
'We're going to be saying to the Government: '
“35. The Evening Standard article referred to another meeting (also attended by an undercover journalist) and which included the following text:- “… Just Stop Oil’s Phoebe Plummer reportedly warned of ‘disruption on a scale that has never been seen before’ at a meeting attended by an undercover journalist. The group has been critical of the airline industry over its carbon footprint. She said: ‘The most exciting part of this plan is that [it’s] going to be part of an international effort. Flights operate on such a tight schedule to control air traffic that with action being caused in cities all around the world we’re talking about radical, unignorable disruption.’ She added: ‘It’s time to wake up and get real – no summer holiday is more important than food security, housing and the lives of your loved ones. Flying is also a symbol of the gross wealth inequality that’s plaguing our society and if we want to create change we need to adopt a more radical demand.’ Just Stop Oil is planning an alliance with Europe-based A22 Network to cause disruption at major international airports.”
“On6 June 2024 , JSO sent an email to subscribers in the following terms:- “This is the most exciting email I’ve ever sent. As many of you already know, this summer Just Stop Oil is taking action at airports. That’s exciting right? Well, there’s more. We won’t be taking action alone. Resistance groups across several countries in Europe have agreed to work together. That means this summer’s actions will be internationally Coordinated.”
“28. … a number of unusual features of London City Airport which make it an obvious target for protestors including environmental protestors. These include the following:- 28.1. the airport is close to the centre of London (and therefore easily accessible); 28.2. the runway is immediately adjacent to (and accessible directly from) Royal Albert Dock and King George V Dock; 28.3. the distance between the Main Terminal Building and the runway is short; and 28.4. there are no physical barriers between the Main Terminal Building and the aircraft stands (such as air-bridges which most airports use and which provide an useful means of preventing trespass by protestors). 29. Given that we do not have air bridges, all passenger movements between the terminal building and the aircraft stands (which involve crossing the access road which is used by multiple vehicles which service the airport) are carefully supervised by our ground-staff.”
“It is necessary for the Court to find, in relation to a final injunction, something higher than the balance of convenience, but because I am not dealing with the final injunction, I am dealing with an interlocutory injunction against PUs, the normal test applies. Even if a higher test applied at this interlocutory stage, I would have found that there is compelling justification for granting the ex parte interlocutory injunction, because of the substantial risk of grave injury or death caused not only to the perpetrators of high climbing on cranes and other high buildings on the Site, but also to the workers, security staff and emergency services who have to deal with people who do that and to the public if explorers fall off the high buildings or cranes.”