Four doctors and two nurses caused nearly £200,000 of damage in a hammer attack on the London offices of JP Morgan, a court has heard.
In a protest over the investment bank’s continued financing of the oil and gas industry, the group went to its European headquarters and used lump hammers and chisels emblazoned with the words “care” and “love” to break 33 sq metres of plate glass.
“In case of medical climate emergency, break glass,” read posters left at the scene by the group, who afterwards put on blue hospital scrubs and sat on the pavement by the broken panes to wait for police to arrest them.
On Tuesday afternoon, doctors Juliette Brown, David McKelvey, Alice Clack and Patrick Hart, and nurses Maggie Fay and Ali Rowe, appeared at Snaresbrook crown court in north-east London to stand trial over the protest two years ago.
The court heard that none dispute that they took part. However, all deny the single charge of criminal damage.
James Bruce, prosecuting, told the court that at about 8.15am on Sunday 17 July 2022 the six defendants went to 25 Bank Street, the glass and steel building in Canary Wharf that houses the JP Morgan offices.
“They walked in pairs up to the building, got to the windows; used hammers, chisels and centre punches to damage those windows,” he said.
“And between the eight windows that they damaged, they cracked and shattered about 33 sq metres of glass.”
He added: “It is not in dispute that the individuals sat here are the individuals who went to damage that building.” He showed jurors images from CCTV showing the defendants crossing the road to the building, and approaching its revolving doors.
“Having done the damage, the group then turning to the publicity stunt photos, and they don scrubs, because their shtick, or their protest, is that ‘we are doctors who are concerned about the environment’,” Bruce said.
The bill for replacing the glass that was damaged amounted to £192,367, the court heard.
Referring to a press release circulated by Doctors for XR, a climate protest group under whose auspices the protest was carried out, Bruce told the jury to disregard any claims by the defendants that their cause was righteous.
“Bear in mind what they actually did about their concerns,” Bruce said. “They went on Sunday morning to a nearly empty building that houses offices …
“No part, I suggest, of breaking the glass itself did anything to stop climate change. In fact, common sense would say that if anything it would cost more in emissions to manufacture 33 sq metres of toughened laminated glass.”
Police seized a letter from Rowe after she was arrested, which was read to the court by PC Suzanne Payne, the officer in charge of the investigation. “My name is Ali Rowe, and today I have committed to engage in an act of non-violent direct action,” the letter said.
“I don’t undertake what I have done this morning lightly. I have never broken the law in my life until now, and it is with overwhelming sadness [that] I undertake this action.
“Sadness for many reasons. We are living in a sick world with intersection critical medical emergencies. I have seen colleagues on the frontline die from Covid, a symptom of the climate crisis.
“I find myself questioning the rule of law as it currently stands. The law, like life, is alive, dynamic and ever-evolving – it is a beautiful thing. Like medicine I thought its role was to protect its citizens. I was wrong. It seems to favour those not so interested in protecting life its citizens and the planet …
“Today I broke glass as we are in a climate medical emergency and believe that act of doing so was to save future lives, those children unable to have a voice, to vote, to change the roadmap legally, as a law-abiding society dictates. Which until yesterday I too believed.
“I hand myself over to the state in good conscience, hoping this action might save lives, which as a former mental health nurse I am duty-bound to do.”
Rowe cried as her words were read out.
The trial continues.
