A grandmother has walked free after appearing in court for helping to block an oil terminal. Julia Mercer, from Todmorden, West Yorkshire, was one of 51 people arrested at a 'nonviolent blockade' of Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire.
She appeared before Judge Kelly at Queen Elizabeth Court in Birmingham on Friday, September 23 and was released with a suspended prison sentence of 24 days and costs of £426. A retired occupational therapist, Julia joined the ‘Just Stop Oil’ protest, and was accused of breaking the North Warwickshire injunction on September 14 – the private injunction outlawed any protest activity near the oil terminal.
Yorkshire Live reports that Mercer was facing the possibility of two years in custody, but walked free after spending a week on remand. Five defendants were released with suspended sentences on Friday, as were a previous 32 defendants from the Kingsbury blockade appearing at courts in London and Birmingham.
The blockade was organised by Just Stop Oil, which calls on the British government to end new oil and gas projects in the UK, opposing the planned issue of 130 new drilling licences for the North Sea and resumption of fracking. The Just Stop Oil group (JSO) is joining with cost of living campaigns Don’t Pay and Enough is Enough in a day of marches and strike action in Westminster on Saturday October 1.
Julia said: "This great gathering outside parliament on the first of October will be a peaceful, family-friendly event. People will come together to show their disgust with the policies of this government which are tipping us further into climate chaos."
Before the blockade, Julia spoke about her concerns for the future of her eight grandchildren, the youngest nine months old. "It’s simply too painful a future to contemplate for her. I will do anything within my power to change this," she said.
