Insulate Britain activist Reverend Mark Coleman fundraising to pay legal defence costs after causing public nuisance

Nine activists from Insulate Britain – including Rochdale’s Reverend Mark Coleman – are fundraising to pay their legal defence costs after causing public nuisance in London.

In 2021, the supporters sat on roads at a junction of Bishopsgate in London, demanding the government take action and insulate housing.

The nine were found guilty and sentenced to community service or prison, with their legal fees totalling £15,417.

Rev Coleman, 64, must pay £3,500 for his prosecution costs: he was jailed for public nuisance in April after telling court he planned to continue in civil resistance until the government decarbonises the UK housing stock and halts new oil and gas developments.

 

Read more: Insulate Britain supporter Revd  Mark Coleman jailed for vowing to continue in civil resistancePublished: 21 April 2023

 

As with all the Insulate Britain public nuisance trials at Inner London Crown Court, those sentenced were subject to Judge Reid’s gagging order during their trial, preventing them from mentioning fuel poverty, the climate crisis or civil resistance when defending their actions in front of the jury.

The fundraiser – started by Reverend Coleman’s wife and former Rochdale councillor Wendy Cocks – says: “In 2021 we demanded that the government insulate Britain’s cold and leaky homes to cut dangerous emissions, stop thousands from dying from cold in their homes and bring millions out of fuel poverty.

“Instead of getting on with the job, the government chose to prosecute people like us; ordinary people who took peaceful action in support of this demand. They would rather silence and imprison people for standing up for what is right and for speaking the truth in court than act to protect the people from fuel poverty and climate collapse. 

“In October 2021 we sat on roads at a junction at Bishopsgate in the city of London. We, supporters of Insulate Britain, stand by what we did, still demanding that the government take this no-brainer step of insulating social housing.

“In the trial the judge, His Honour Silas Reid, would not allow us to tell the jury why we did what we did, or speak of our fears for the future. We were found guilty, and the judge sentenced us in April 2023 to community service or prison. We have defence costs totalling £15,417. 

“We need your support to pay for the costs and charges inflicted by the courts and associated costs of those taken to court and prison.

“Thank you for any donations of money that you are able to give towards these costs.”

At the time of publication, over £6,700 has been raised for the nine.

Donations can be made via Chuffed.org.