‘Why I went to prison for my beliefs’ says 67-year-old Just Stop Oil eco-campaigner near Rugby

A 67-year-old climate campaigner near Rugby who was jailed for her activism says more disruption is needed to make sure her message is heard.

Victoria Lindsell, of Flecknoe, joined dozens of protesters from Just Stop Oil on the streets of Westminster to demand the government ceases to issue new fossil fuel licences.

Alongside her were three other activists from Warwickshire - Matt Langford, 30, Xandra Gilchrist, 70, and Juliet Carter 55.

They all feel so strongly about the climate crisis affecting people the world over, that they are getting ready to go back for 'civil resistance' in London.

Mr Langford, Ms Gilchrist and Ms Lindsell have supported blockades at the Kingsbury oil terminal in Warwickshire earlier in the year with Ms Lindsell being sent to prison for eight days for breaching the injunction twice.

She said: “I cannot emphasise strongly enough why I felt compelled to do this but as with the 50 others, I knew it had to be done.

"I was not looking forward to going to prison even for a short time but I instinctively knew I had to take this next step.

"As if the situation wasn’t bad enough under the previous prime minister Liz Truss is unbelievably exacerbating our part in the climate and cost of living emergency even more rapidly by issuing 130 new oil and gas licences and restarting fracking.

"We have enough reserves for the next eight years – we need to transition to renewables now.”

So who is Just Stop Oil? They are a relatively newly-formed climate activist group, formed in February 2022, whose members have hit the headlines in the past for demonstrating and protesting high-profile events and at notable locations across the country.

The group is aiming to stop the UK Government from creating new fossil fuel licensing and production.

In the last few days, Just Stop Oil protesters have been widely criticised by many for blocking roads in London, bringing traffic to a halt.

Home Secretary Suella Braverma described the actions of those demonstrating as "self-defeating" and "completely indefensible".

The Government said it has lifted the moratorium on shale gas production in England, and confirmed its support for a new oil and gas licensing round, to 'bolster the UK’s energy security'.

Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "In light of Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of energy, strengthening our energy security is an absolute priority, and – as the Prime Minister said – we are going to ensure the UK is a net energy exporter by 2040.

"To get there we will need to explore all avenues available to us through solar, wind, oil and gas production - so it’s right that we’ve lifted the pause to realise any potential sources of domestic gas."

But Ms Gilchrist said: “I can't stand by and watch our government increase the speed of climate change. This summer, the High Court told the government that their ‘net zero strategy’ is unlawful (it breaches the Climate Change Act) and now the government has agreed to grant 130 new licenses for exploration and extraction of fossil fuels. This is complete stupidity."

Retired social worker Ms Gilchrist says she will be returning to London as she "wants her daughter and grandson to have a world they can safely live in and not to have to cope with increasing temperatures, flooding, food shortages and civil unrest".

Juliet is a local environmental sustainability designer/permaculturist and will soon be returning to London, taking her eye-catching yellow canary costume with her.

She said: “I made and wore this costume as a visual way of showing the massive environmental dangers we are creating and facing as a consequence of climate change. Miners used to carry canaries into coal mines so if dangerous gases such as carbon dioxide and methane collected in the mine it would kill the canaries, giving the miners time to escape.

"When we burn fossil fuels we are releasing these very same gases into our atmosphere. These gases build a greenhouse effect which leads to global warming.

“If the canary dies, we all die – we urgently need to invest in renewables and keep the canary and our people alive.”

Mr Langford works as a manager in the hospitality industry. He has taken action with Just Stop Oil because “the earth needs every one of us to step up and do so to ensure we have a habitable earth to live on."

Ms Lindsell added: “I've lived in Warwickshire for over 37 years. I've been utterly dismayed in that time to be witness to excessive land grab for housing, industrial units and roads. Then came HS2. Anybody living or travelling near the works will know the horror story.

"When I realised the pleas, petitions, meetings and marches of thousands of people directly affected by HS2 were being ignored, it was a relief to hear of Insulate Britain. I've always been a law abiding and peaceful citizen and I saw Insulate Britain as an effective way of getting the government to act for the good of the people and not big corporations.

"King Charles as Prince back in November 2021 said that climate change and the loss of nature are such a huge threat to society that we have to put ourselves on 'what might be called a war-like footing'. He was right."