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GP jailed for peaceful climate protest ‘regrets nothing’
A Bristol practitioner has become the first working doctor to be imprisoned for non-violent climate action.
He was sentenced to 12 months in prison for his role in a direct action to demand an end to new oil and gas licences, which has subsequently been made official UK policy by the new government this year.
Dr Patrick Hart used a hammer and chisel to crack pumps at a petrol station on the M25, as part of a Just Stop Oil protest in August 2022.
is needed now More than ever
He was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on Tuesday after being found guilty of criminal damage in October 2024, though he has already faced civil charges and been fined for the same action.
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Dr Hart explained that he decided to take action on behalf of the health of his patients, calling the impacts of climate change “a great evil inflicted on us by oil companies with complicity from governments, insurers, banks, lawyers,..”
Before sentencing, Dr Hart said: “Right now, the greatest health threat to all of us is the unfolding climate catastrophe… All healthcare workers have a responsibility to protect the health of their patients.
“If we do not stand up to the oil and gas executives who are wreaking havoc on our climate and the politicians who enable them, if we do not end the burning of fossil fuels, then we will have failed as a profession and the health systems that we have developed over centuries will collapse.
“I will continue to fight against the death sentence of fossil fuels for as long as I have strength in me. I have no greater duty as a doctor at this moment in history.”
He stated he has been a law abiding citizen who has “never even had a parking ticket” until his actions in August 2022.
In his closing statement at the trial, Dr Hart said: “I regret nothing. In the face of the permanent collapse of our climate, our economy, our society and live on Earth, the only thing that keeps me going is our continued capacity as people to care, regardless of what happens. Yes, I fear prison, but I’m ready to go if I must.”
He joins 19 other peaceful climate protesters behind bars, including 77 year old Gaie Delap who has been returned to prison because an electronic tag small enough for her wrists cannot be found.
Just Stop Oil are calling these individuals political prisoners, asking sympathisers to write to UK Attorney General, Richard Hermer KC to demand their release.
Main image: Robin Boardman
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