FOUR activists have pleaded guilty for their part in occupying pipework at the Grangemouth oil refinery in 2023.
The four activists from the climate crisis group This is Rigged appeared at Falkirk Sheriff’s Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to charges of reckless and culpable conduct for climbing on and occupying the pipework at an oil terminal in Grangemouth on July 19, 2023.
The four accused, Lewis Conroy, Sam Griffiths, Greg Sculthorpe and Jack Rennie, climbed onto the roof of the facility, occupying the pipework, while 19 others took other action at the site including blocking the gates and disabling a car park full of tankers.
On the same day, four other activists occupied the Nustar terminal at Clydebank for 40 hours, which the group claimed shut down 90% of Scotland’s petrol supply between the two sites.
Sentencing for the four activists has been deferred until March 21. Following the court ruling Griffiths explained why he took part in the protest, he said: “I was scared about protesting at Grangemouth Refinery.
“I was more terrified about what fossil fuelled climate collapse will mean for my son. I still am.
“This and other actions show it is possible for ordinary people to stop oil, if only for a matter of hours. It is symbolic of what we need to do as a society to protect our children and their future. It's a privilege to be judged by a jury of ordinary people.
“We all have a choice, to do what we're told, or to act in line with our conscience.”
In a video released by This is Rigged on social media prior to the trial, Conroy said he occupied the pipework with the four others from the campaign group to “make a point”.
He said: “Me and four other people ran into the Grangemouth oil terminal and occupied the oil pipes. We were expecting to get rugby tackled or something, but we all made it and put our bodies on the gears. Ten hours later Police Scotland took us to jail.”
“I did it to make a point: People in this country are capable of making these changes. When you look at [these actions] together you can see how they all build and build and build on one another and lead to a tipping point where social change does actually take place.”
Following the protest at Grangemouth the This is Rigged group campaigned for a further three weeks across Scotland.
During the three-week period, members of the group climbed the Falkirk Kelpies, painted Holyrood red, spray-painted a portrait of King Charles at the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, and disrupted the UCI Cycling World Championships.
The group demanded that the Scottish Government vocally oppose all new North Sea oil and Gas licences.
They are also still demanding a fair transition for Scotland’s oil workers, in line with the demands of a coalition involving 1000 North Sea workers for a transition towards greener jobs.
