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🗞️ Driving the news: In a crackdown on climate protests, UK courts sentenced Just Stop Oil activist Cressida Gethin and four others to four-to-five-year prison terms for organizing disruptive protests
• The activists were convicted under new laws that impose harsher penalties on protest actions deemed to cause public nuisance, drawing criticism for equating non-violent climate protests with violent crimes

🔭 The context: These laws were introduced following disruptive climate actions by groups like Extinction Rebellion
• The new policing powers target protests causing public disruptions and have raised concerns about civil liberties and the influence of fossil fuel lobbying

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: These protests highlight the tension between urgent climate action and the fossil fuel industry's continued expansion
• The legal response may deter future activism, yet the activists argue that such actions are necessary to address the climate crisis

⏭️ What's next: Gethin and her co-defendants are appealing their sentences, while activists and legal experts criticize the disproportionate penalties as a suppression of protest rights

💬 One quote: “A very harsh sentence like this doesn’t make sense morally or legally — but it does make sense politically,” said Gethin from prison

📈 One stat: The protest caused over £760,000 in economic damage and £1 million in policing costs

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