The report, Britain’s Political Prisoners, was co-published by researchers at the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice at Queen Mary University of London and Defend Our Juries.
Researchers documented 286 cases involving climate and Palestine solidarity protestors imprisoned since 2019. In the 256 cases where sentencing and remand data could be verified, the total amount of jail time imposed amounted to 136 years.
The report argues that recent years have seen significant changes in the legal and political landscape surrounding protest in Britain, with expanded anti-protest legislation and the increased use of civil legal mechanisms contributing to harsher penalties for protest-related activity.
Key findings from the report shows that:
- the average detention period was 28 weeks, equivalent to more than six months
- one in three protestors (34%) were jailed for six months or more
- one in five (21%) were imprisoned for more than a year
- in 60% of cases, final sentences were more lenient than the time already spent in custody on remand
- the most common category of offence leading to imprisonment was contempt of court, accounting for 40% of cases recorded conspiracy offences accounted for 17% of cases analysed
The report argues that the growing use of contempt of court proceedings and conspiracy charges has enabled courts to impose custodial sentences in ways that can limit access to jury trials and expand pre-emptive forms of punishment.
The analysis also found that Palestine solidarity protestors experienced particularly lengthy periods of remand detention, with 60% held for longer than six months before sentencing.
Professor David Whyte of Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice at Queen Mary said: “This report documents a significant shift in how protest is being policed and punished in Britain. Our findings show a substantial increase in the use of remand detention, contempt proceedings and custodial sentencing in response to acts of civil disobedience and direct action.”
Tim Crosland of Defend Our Juries said: “This report strips away the illusion that Britain remains committed to democratic principles. It reveals that peaceful protestors are being jailed in ever increasing numbers.
“Most shocking of all is the finding concerning the use of remand. In the majority of cases, final sentences are more lenient than time already spent in custody before people have been convicted of anything. It would be dishonest to present this as anything other than punishment without trial.”
Zoë Blackler, founding director of radical events space Kairos said: “In the face of this clampdown on the right to peaceful protest we need to come together in solidarity and defiance. Kairos exists to inspire imaginative thinking in response to the extreme challenges we face.”
Read more:
