Blessed are the peacemakers and their expensive graffiti

Greenpeace activists, a power station and some graffiti looks like the ingredients for just another stunt, but this one shook the government. A bit like a prophet called Jeremiah once shook his government.

Political activists always walk a tightrope between inspiring and offending the public, but both history and faith teach that peace is usually made not given.

Last October five Greenpeace activists scaled Kingsnorth power station. They then lowered themselves down the outside of the chimney and wrote ‘Gordon’ on the side. It was to read ‘Gordon bin it’ but they were interrupted by a writ delivered from a passing helicopter. Typical Greenpeace style!

The protest, of course, was about climate change and the intention to rebuild Kingsnorth coal-fired power station without any carbon capture technology. Last week they were put on trial for the graffiti as criminal damage. Their defence was that their actions were urgently required to prevent much greater property damage in the world through climate change. A jury listened to evidence from world expert James Hansen and others, considered government policy in this area, and finally agreed that the actions had a ‘legal defence’. In effect this means that they considered the government’s plans for Kingsnorth to be damaging to the earth.

The government will be worried by this decision. It will also re-open public debate about our future lifestyles and where we should look to for energy. Some seem to be acting like all this environmental stuff will just sort of adjust while we all carry on as usual. The truth may be that we need both serious political action and radical lifestyle change if we are to respond adequately.

Perhaps it is a bit like the days of Jeremiah. He went in for some expensive graffiti too, though his was expensive because it was on a precious piece of parchment and took ages to write. It too was a warning about the future and how the government and people had to change their ways. He presented his writing to the King. It was read out and, as each piece was read, the King tore it off and threw it in the fire. Ritual humiliation for Jeremiah but he clearly shook the government of his day. The problem was that they did not listen.

Will ours?

For more about carbon capture technology and how that might apply to Kingsnorth see George Monbiot

Your comments.

Yes, this is very embarrassing for the government. It’s also a fascinating, and potentially dangerous legal precedent.

Thanks Jeremy, I am aware of this defence being used before in cases of damage to GM crops and to military planes.I guess we will have to see how it develops, but at this stage it does seem to provide an important avenue for legitimate protest about some issues where the public might otherwise find it very hard to express their views effectively. Their might be more danger in allowing governments to continue such policies than in relatively trivial breaches of property rights.