climate change demands lawbreaking
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- lowimpakt
not sure if this should be in politics or another climate thread...... but anyway, it's great.
http://www.independent.co.uk/env…
"Cleared: Jury decides that threat of global warming justifies breaking the law
The threat of global warming is so great that campaigners were justified in causing more than £35,000 worth of damage to a coal-fired power station, a jury decided yesterday. In a verdict that will have shocked ministers and energy companies the jury at Maidstone Crown Court cleared six Greenpeace activists of criminal damage.
Jurors accepted defence arguments that the six had a "lawful excuse" to damage property at Kingsnorth power station in Kent to prevent even greater damage caused by climate change. The defence of "lawful excuse" under the Criminal Damage Act 1971 allows damage to be caused to property to prevent even greater damage – such as breaking down the door of a burning house to tackle a fire."
- bolus0
can't believe that to be true
- weave0
it's great if it is...
- stem0
Legalised Environmental Terrorism?
- lowimpakt0
the same precendent has been used on a number of occaions.
I remember back in the 1990's some women broken into an RAF base and smashed the shit out of some war planes that were being sold by the UK government to Indonesia. The planes were to be used for genocide in East Timor.
The women were cleared by the court. Their criminal damage was to prevent the greater crime of genocide.
- mikotondria30
not really.
If the defense can prove beyond reasonable doubt that the output of this power station would have any measurable impact whatsoever on the global climate, then they are somehow smarter than all the climatologists we currently have..
A power station that would light homes, keep people warm, power medical equipment, light the streets, etc..
Lets see them shrug their shoulders when their mum's dialysis machine grinds to a halt in a black out, then..- It's not a choice between coal power and no power.lowimpakt
- hahah, ok then mate - coal and/or clean nuclear. Take your pick. Nothing else can do it.mikotondria3
- ok. nothing can do it.
what's clean nucler?lowimpakt - Where you don't output millions of tonnes of sulphur and particulates into the atmosphere.mikotondria3
- stem0
So does this mean (providing I get a good lawyer), I could go out at lunch and smash all the cars in the car park on the ground that cars pollute the environment. Or perhaps punch a smoker?
- johnnnnyh0
Don't feel that's a great defence. But I suppose I can see why the law would accept it.
- lowimpakt0
the principle can be applied in a number of contexts - e.g. self-defence.
It has also been seen as a mechanism for supporting citizen action to prevent broader criminality.
- Nairn0
Sweet Mary Jesus.
And there's me thinking that, with blanket DNA swabbing for every brush with The Law and so much anti-terror legislation, there weren't any chinks left in the armour of The Establishment.
*Dons home-made Super Hero costume and chainlocks self to an SUV*