‘Just Stop Oil’ protesters told by judge they should feel ‘PROUD’ as he refuses to send them to prison and that ‘It has been a pleasure dealing with you.’The judge went on to say that these creators of havoc and inconvenience for thousand of people attempting to travel to work or leave their children to school, were ‘good people with admirable aims’
So it is now ‘official’ — lawlessness and anti-social behaviour is to be encouraged as something good and the lawless are to be proud of their actions!
Surely, ‘the lunatics have taken over the asylum’, as the old saying goes !!!
The judge at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court, said to ‘Just Stop Oil’ activists, who have been a source of exasperation and rage for thousands of motorists in parts of England in recent months with their blocking of roads, that they should feel “proud” and that they should “feel guilty for nothing”. He further said:‘You are intelligent and articulate, and you have been a pleasure throughout to deal with.’ The protesters avoided jail time for blocking the Esso Fuel Terminal in Birmingham last April.
The comments of the judge, one Judge Graham Wilkinson, have sparked fury for being a “soft-touch” on the seven protesters who caused widespread chaos as petrol stations were forced to close due to supply issues.
However, after their sentencing, ‘Just Stop Oil’ was rebuked by the Judicial Office after issuing a misleading statement which fabricated a substantial amount of the judge’s words, suggesting he had said they should ‘feel guilty for nothing’.
The ‘Judicial Office’ is described as ‘a unique branch of the civil service, independent from the machinery which supports the Government, and dedicated to supporting the judiciary as the third arm of the state.’
Some of the protesters were made to pay costs of £500 while others have been charged costs of £250 each.
The seven were sentenced to a 12 month conditional discharge and are required to pay a £22 surcharge at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court.
The Judge’s comments sparked anger on social media, with one user saying: “What an extraordinary judgement – in every sense of both words.” Another argued: “Well he should be sacked. His opinion means nothing. He’s supposed to up hold the law of the UK.”