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Insulate Britain’s ‘show trials’ expose state efforts to silence activists

OPINION: An activist is in jail for mentioning the climate crisis in court. Our judicial system is enabling the state

Insulate Britain’s ‘show trials’ expose state efforts to silence activists
Insulate Britain members are appearing in court after being charged when blocking roads in October 2021 – and they’re being told they can’t mention the climate crisis | PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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This week we were delivered the strongest evidence yet that the court cases of Insulate Britain members are little more than show trials – in which the defendant’s guilt has already been determined.

David Nixon, a fellow Insulate Britain supporter, was handed an eight-week sentence for merely mentioning the climate crisis during his trial for participating in a roadblock in 2021.

Judge Silas Reid had ordered Nixon to avoid talking about the climate and ecological emergency. He said, “This is not a trial about climate change, fuel poverty, etc. Matters relating to that are not relevant.”