The co-founder of Extinction Rebellion was not sentenced to prison despite causing significant monetary damage to a government facility.
In October 2019, a jury convicted Gail Bradbrook, aged 51, for breaking a window during a protest at the Department for Transport against HS2.
A court worker stated that Bradbrook, who is from Stroud, Gloucestershire, appeared at Isleworth Crown Court in West London on Monday. The judge sentenced her to 15 months in prison, which will be suspended for 15 months, as well as 150 hours of unpaid work and a year-long supervision order.
Bradbrook, along with her former partner Simon Bramwell and a few others, formed the environmental advocacy group in 2018. After the court proceedings, she was accompanied by a group of supporters that included actor Jerome Flynn from Game of Thrones, and some individuals dressed as suffragettes.
According to a statement from XR, Bradbrook stated after the hearing that the courts were aiding in leading us towards a climate disaster.
According to Bradbrook, individuals advocating for action on the climate crisis are being unjustly charged with crimes, while those who are actually responsible for causing harm to the Earth’s ecosystems are not being held accountable by the legal system.
“Additionally, corporate courts are granting permission for fossil fuel offenders to file lawsuits against governments for enacting environmentally-conscious policies. This is compounded by the use of repressive injunctions and authoritarian legislation, created by politicians who have received funding from the fossil fuel industry, to suppress our democratic rights and our ability to protest.”
Source: theguardian.com
