In July 2024, five young people were sentenced to prison for planning nonviolent protest action linked to Just Stop Oil. Among them was Cressida Gethin, a 22-year-old Oxford music student and gifted cellist, who received a four-year prison sentence. Her role? Participating in a Zoom call during which protest actions were discussed. She did not block a road, vandalise property, or harm anyone.

To many observers, including UN experts, her sentencing reflects not just a punitive response to protest, but a disturbing turn toward the criminalisation of climate conscience.

Jane Ripley, a scientist based in Hastings, attended the High Court proceedings. She shared her account with me in a recent interview. According to her, the most alarming part of the hearing was not just the severity of the sentences—but the explicit legal instruction given to the convicted:

“They were told they must not say why they had protested. Not in court, not to the press, not even outside the courtroom. If they ...