Palestine supporters march from Endcliffe Park on Nakba day.
The Coat of Hopes is on its way to Sheffield
Last Saturday I spoke at the Act Now Conference in Acomb, York. ACT Now! for a Better World explored how individuals and churches can work together to create a brighter, greener future. The workshops looked at the range of actions we can take at a local and national level, from effective campaigning to going vegan, to improving garden habits. It was encouraging to see Churches making time for these vital issues, examining how faith and the environment are intertwined.
The conference began with the arrival of the Coat of Hopes. This patchwork coat was created on a pilgrimage to COP 26, the UN climate summit, in Glasgow, in 2021. Since then hundreds of people have worn it as it continues its journey around the country. The coat is made of pieces of blanket into which people have stitched their griefs, remembrances, prayers and hopes for the place they call home. The coat will soon be heading towards Bradford and arrives in Sheffield this summer.
Keynote Speech
Colin Beale from A Rocha UK delivered the keynote speech which examined how we can effect real, tangible improvements to the big picture of environmental change. Starting from awful statistics like the 21 species declared extinct in the United States in 2023 and that this March was the 10th month in a row to experience record worldwide temperatures, Colin raised our hopes by explaining a recent survey which shows that people care far more about climate than you might think.
A paper published in Nature Climate Change found high support for political change. A survey of almost 130,000 individuals across 125 countries found that:
89% wanted more political action on climate.
86% think people “should try to fight global warming”.
69% (46% in Britain) would be willing to contribute at least 1% of their income to tackle climate change.
Support for political action was strong across the world.
Colin spoke strongly against the United Nations approach to climate action which still stresses individual lifestyle change. BP invented the Carbon Footprint idea to make people focus on individual action when systemic change is needed, which would hurt BP’s profits. The richest 1% of the world’s population produce equivalent emissions to the poorest 66%. Ordinary people can only have a small impact on emissions. We need systemic change led by Governments.
Colin’s manifesto included replacing petrochemicals, enabling a circular economy, reforming global institutions, ending damaging subsidies ( we fund the oil industry far more than renewables), stopping overfishing and replacing Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
GDP is the measure nearly every politician aims to increase as it measures the size of the economy. But it is a useless measure. Each time there is a car crash we spend money treating the casualties and repairing the cars. This increases GDP. But if I lend my car to a friend no transaction has taken place, so GDP does not count it. Colin wants to replace GDP with a Happiness Index as used in New Zealand and Bhutan.
Sheffield Incinerator and the Tree Campaign
My workshop was about what I have learned from the many different campaigns I have been involved in over the years. I included the campaign to shut down the old Sheffield Incinerator at Bernard Road, the Tree dispute, the growth of the Green Party in Sheffield, the campaigns for the Council to declare and act on the Climate and Nature Emergencies and the campaign to get the Sheffield press to tell the truth about them. The first two campaigns had very similar learning points. The importance of good research and power analysis to work out who has the power to change things and what that change should be. The importance of building a broad alliance of campaigners from different walks of life.The use of Non-Violent Direct Action when required to highlight the problem to bring about change. Acknowledging the harm of PFI contracts that led to both the Incinerator and Trees problems. Both campaigns showed it is not wise to trust those in power.
The rise of the Greens
I have been active with the Greens for over 40 years and have helped Sheffield Greens grow from 0 to 14 Councillors. They have done this using a strategy of Target to Win. Our unfair electoral system means it is not wise to try and campaign everywhere, as this won’t increase seats. Instead, the Greens have chosen carefully where to campaign and ensured that they regularly knock on doors and deliver leaflets in those areas, keeping in touch with residents’ views. We can change politics in this country, even with our unfair electoral system. Even so-called “safe seats” can be overturned. But Green policies won’t always be popular with the electorate as some don’t understand the urgency of the climate and nature emergencies. We need legislators who understand the planetary crisis and are willing to advocate for it.
The local election results were amazing for the Greens, who now have 809 Councillors on 174 Councils. With 74 gains they are now the largest party in Bristol, Hastings, Stroud, East Hertfordshire, East Suffolk, Mid Suffolk, Lewes, Folkestone and Hythe and the Forest of Dean. Here in Sheffield, I am delighted we won a new seat from the Lib Dems in Ecclesall with the dynamic Peter Gilbert as the victorious candidate. Unfortunately, we lost in Walkley, but we remain with 14 Councillors on a Council with no overall control, so the Greens will still have significant influence.
Although Target to Win has worked to increase Green influence, a new strategy is now required to meet the urgency of the planetary crisis. We need a massive breakthrough in Parliament and Local Government and this can only come with far more media coverage and mass grassroots participation. The Party seems to lack ambition in only targeting 4 seats in the General Election, none of which are in the North of England. Despite the massive increase in Councillors, the media gave more attention to the 2 Reform candidates that were elected!
We don’t have time
Changes to the climate and loss in biodiversity are fast accelerating. We haven’t got time to wait for a Green Government when radical action is needed now. We need to work with the Independents and the politically homeless that have left the Labour Party, those disillusioned with politics and concerned by the big three parties’ complicity in Genocide in Gaza, people of faith and of no faith, climate activists, conservation and wildlife groups, peace activists, trade unionists and all people of goodwill to build a mass grassroots party that will be unstoppable at the polls. We need to create our own media to get our message out there.
Declaring Climate and Nature Emergencies
Sheffield Council were persuaded to declare a climate emergency using lobbying, petitions and protests, but when, after declaring an emergency, they continued to fail to act on it, non-violent direct action was also employed. Having reduced their emissions by 3% when to be on track they should now have halved emissions it is clear Sheffield Council are still not acting like this is an emergency. A long list of questions posed to the Council on TelltheTruthSheffield.org shows how they could do far more to meet their targets, even under the harsh austerity imposed by the Government. Sheffield Diocese joined with the Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth and many other groups to persuade Sheffield Council to declare a Nature Emergency. This was a good example of the Church standing up for creation. Every Council needs to be held to account to make sure it is on track to net zero carbon emissions and increasing biodiversity.
Sheffield Newspapers must Tell the Truth
Sheffield Newspapers were also under the spotlight. Back in 2019, a petition was presented to Nancy Fielder, then Editor of the Star, to ask her to tell the truth about the climate and nature emergencies, following the publication of many letters that denied the existence of climate change. This eventually resulted in the birth of this column! Conference attendees were encouraged to use their local media to get the message out about the planetary crises.
Churches Together
The Acomb conference was a great success and I hope other Churches Together groups around the country will follow their lead and organise similar events.
Sheffield protests as Israel rejects ceasefire and bombs fall on Rafah.
Nakba “The Catastrophe”: the roots of the current genocide in Gaza.
Sheffield Palestine Coalition against Israeli Apartheid have sent me the following.
Wednesday 15th May is AL-NAKBA DAY.
This day marks the time in 1948 when 750,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homes and villages by the Haganah [armed Zionist groups], and into tents in refugee camps in Gaza, in the West Bank and in nearby countries such as Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, following the United Nations’ decision in November 1947 to partition the land of Palestine to make way for the new state of Israel.
Sahar Awadallah, Palestinian and local doctor in Barnsley: “My Dad came from Asdod and my Mum is from Almajdal, villages in historic Palestine. In 1948 my Dad was 13 and my Mum 6. Their families left their homes under threats from Israeli gangs and went to live in tents in Gaza. They met in Gaza in a refugee camp. After 1967 it was clear there would be no return to their homes, My Dad was forced to leave Gaza and they moved to Jordan where I was born. Then we moved to Syria where I grew up living in Alyarmouk refugee camp. In 1994 after the Oslo agreements my family went back to Gaza where I met my husband and worked in Al Shifa hospital now completely destroyed in the current genocidal attacks on Gaza.”
Today most Palestinians still live in refugee camps, in Gaza, the West Bank and neighbouring countries arising from the 1948 Al-Nakba. The power of Al-Nakba in modern Palestinian culture is exemplified by the use of the key as a symbol of a constant yearning to return. Many families still hold the keys to the properties they were evicted from in 1948.
Al-Nakba however continues with tens of thousands of Palestinians forced out of Israeli-controlled areas every year since 1967 into refugee camps.
The current crisis in Gaza marks, for many, a second Nakba even more deadly than the first. Over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the last few months; all hospitals and schools have been destroyed, half the buildings in Gaza destroyed and over a million people driven from their homes and forced to live in tents. A modern “Al-Nakba”.
March: Saturday 11th May at 11am
In Sheffield, the “Sheffield Palestine Coalition against Israeli Apartheid” will be marking Al-Nakba, and protesting at the continued genocide taking place in Gaza today, by a march on Saturday 11th May from Endcliffe Park to the Town Hall, leaving Endcliffe Park at 11am.
We will be joined by the “Sheffield Campus Coalition For Palestine” of staff and students from both Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam Universities who are currently encamped at Sheffield.
Boycott Eurovision: Saturday 11th May at 7.00pm
There will also be a demonstration outside the Light Cinema on the Moor, which is screening live the final of Eurovision, to protest at the continued involvement of Israel in the contest. “Yes to music, No to genocide”.
Flying High for Al-Nakba Day: Tuesday 14th May
On the evening of Tuesday 14th May at 6.00pm, Sahar will be “^Flying High for Nakba Day” in a hot air balloon taking off at from the Sheffield Amphitheatre behind the train station flying the Palestinian flag and raising funds for the children of Gaza. Come and join us from 5.45pm on.
Sahar again says: “On the 14th of May, I will fly in a hot air balloon raising the Palestinian flag across South Yorkshire. This is to raise funds urgently needed to support children of Gaza and to commemorate Al-Nakba day.I’m the daughter of Al-Nakba survivors, my parents were made refugees by the creation of Israel in 1948. My parents, like hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, were forcibly expelled, dispossessed from their homes and towns. The ongoing Nakba has now expelled the rest of my family from the North to the South of Gaza. In my capacity as a human, a Palestinian, and as a doctor and member of the Health Workers 4 Palestine in Sheffield, I am hoping to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the killing of innocent children and women, and the targeting of healthcare workers, facilities and infrastructure.”
Al-Nakba Day, Wednesday 15th May: Rally outside the Town Hall, 10.30am
There will be a rally outside the Sheffield Town Hall, where the new City Council will be holding it’s first meeting and AGM.
In March, the Coalition presented a petition with 7,500 signatures, collected in just two weeks, calling on the Council to issue a statement of solidarity with Palestinians, support the work of the International Court of Justice investigating genocide in Gaza, and work to make Sheffield an “Israeli Apartheid Free Zone”.
They refused to debate the petition and have issued a very disappointing statement which fails to mention solidarity with Palestinians.
The overwhelming victory of an Independent pro-Palestine candidate in Darnall, their failure to win in Nether Edge, and similar elections elsewhere in the country, provide some hope that the Labour Party will reconsider its position and support these demands in the new Council.
It’s disappointing that the Coalition against Israeli Apartheid haven’t acknowledged that the Green Party fully supported the demands of the petition. The Greens successfully defended seats in Nether Edge, City, Gleadless Valley, Broomhill and Sharrow Vale and Hillsborough and won in Ecclesall for the first time taking a seat from the Lib Dems. It is a shame the Coalition have not celebrated this as well as the amazing independent win in Darnall especially as the Greens are members of the Coalition.
Sheffield doctors speak up for suspended Dr Benn.
Doctors in Sheffield and throughout the country have been outraged by the decision of the General Medical Council (GMC) to suspend Dr Sarah Benn for 5 months.
A GP with over 30 years of NHS service, she is the first doctor to face a tribunal due to climate action and was referred for disciplinary proceedings because she’d been imprisoned for 32 days. Her crime was to hold up a sign outside an oil refinery. Unfortunately, this broke a private injunction, so was punished severely, just as tree protesters in Sheffield were threatened when the Council took out an injunction to stop them from protesting.
The GMC’s twitter post stated that “our fitness to practise investigations consider cases which are referred to us and where doctors have broken the law, not their motivations for doing so.” However, their own Sustainability policy identifies four key principles which underpin sustainable clinical practice.
- Prevention of ill health.
- Patient empowerment.
- Lean Pathways/service delivery.
- Low carbon alternatives.
Dr Sarah’s primary motivation in carrying out the action she took was the prevention of ill health.
In a video, Dr Benn eloquently described her motivation for breaking the law.
“If the planet were my patient at the moment I would be about as concerned as I could be about their ability to pull through. I would probably be making some comforting noises to them like okay we’re here, it’s going to be alright, just hang on in there, while putting my utmost energy into doing whatever I could to save them, to stop what was doing the harm and to put in immediate resuscitation measures. But perhaps expecting the worst and asking someone to call the family and say “This is really bad, you need to get here, it is that bad”.
A patient petition in support of doctors like Sarah, who feel morally compelled to protect public health by demanding action on the climate and ecological crisis has received more than 5000 signatures.
Dr Jeremy Wight (Sheffield Director of Public Health, 2006 – 2015) said
“I think the action of the GMC in this matter is absurd. If, as has been reported, the rationale for their decision was that in their view the public would not condone breaking the law in the repeated way in which Dr Benn did, then they are surely asking themselves the wrong question. It doesn’t matter if the public would or would not condone the law-breaking. What matters is whether the public has lost trust in her in her role as a doctor, or in the medical profession more widely. That is surely not the case.
The climate emergency is by far the biggest threat to health that we face. If doctors who protest about lack of action to address it are to be sanctioned by our own professional body, then the GMC has clearly lost the plot.”
Sheffield retired doctor, medical educator and coach Mike Tomson said
“I was sad and angry when I heard that Sarah Benn had been suspended from practice for 5 months by the GMC’s tribunal. She is a GP who has put the safety of us all above her own comfort and for that, I respect her enormously.
Over the last 4 years I and others have been asking the GMC to be clear that it is appropriate to campaign non-violently for public safety against the enormous threat and power from oil and gas companies and the GMC has failed to provide either guidance or clarity. It is shameful that the outcome is that now the GMC like Chamberlain (and the Munich papers) is on the wrong side of history. Worldwide 6 million people die a year from air pollution ( much of it from oil, coal and gas), the biggest preventable, environmental cause of death. (tobacco causes 8.5million). We need action on the causes, not penalisation of those who highlight this blight.”
Dr Bing Jones, a retired fellow doctor said:
“I have known Sarah for years and cannot imagine a more honourable person. She has the courage and moral conviction to act where others only talk. She is bravely telling us that climate collapse means health care collapse. The medical profession should be the loudest voice highlighting government climate failure, yet they are not. It is a disgrace that the GMC has sanctioned one of the few doctors who is unwilling to stay comfortably silent on the single biggest issue of our time.”
Jillian Creasy, who is a retired GP, said,
“Dr Benn has broken the law and spent time in prison, but her motivation is entirely honourable. She objected to burning fossil fuels because it affects our health locally (through air pollution) and will lead to climate collapse, which is already causing disease and death across the world. The General Medical Council should be supporting, not punishing, doctors who want to protect others.”
The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change said
“Many in the GMC must recognise that they are finding themselves on the wrong side of history. As UKHACC has pointed out to the chair and chief executive of the GMC, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Pope, and the King have all expressed forcefully their anxiety that the world is heading to catastrophe because of damage to nature and the climate and that the responses by world leaders are inadequate…
…It is in these exceptional circumstances that doctors committed to public health have resorted to actions judged criminal. As with other activists like the suffragettes, history will support the minority who took direct action to raise awareness of the consequences of our unsustainable reliance on fossil fuels and be critical of the majority who either passively accepted the status quo or condemned the activists…
…UKHACC calls on the GMC to recognise its predicament and seek all possible ways—including if necessary changes to the Medical Act—to avoid removing the livelihood of doctors who are concerned and courageous enough to break what they see as immoral laws.“
Dr Fiona Godlee, Former editor of the British Medical Journal said “This principled and courageous doctor has already put her own liberty on the line to raise the alarm on what is recognised to be the greatest threat to our health and survival. If she and others in the future lose their right to practise, who wins? Certainly not patients.”
The Doctor’s Association UK said
“ Governments, including the UK Government, and organisations, including the GMC, are failing to act quickly and effectively enough to protect global patient safety. Their response, despite countless warnings from scientists across the globe, is not enough, and we are now in a position of annual life-threatening extreme weather events. Dr Sarah Benn, we believe, is on the right side of history, and we ask the GMC and the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, can you say the same?
Given the evidence on climate change and its health impacts, we strongly believe that peaceful protest should not be viewed as condemnable professional misconduct – but as commendable public health advocacy.”
I urge anyone who feels that Sarah Benn is acting for us all and the General Medical Council is wrong to discipline her, to sign this petition https://www.change.org/p/help-medical-professionals-keep-their-jobs-while-acting-on-the-climate-crisis?source_location=search and contact the GMC https://www.gmc-uk.org/contact-us .
Palestine and the Local Elections
Sheffield Coalition against Israeli Apartheid are very disappointed with the Council’s response to their petition.
On Wednesday 6th March the Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid presented a petition signed by over 7,500 Sheffield citizens at a full council meeting. They called on the Council to:
- Stand in “unity and solidarity” with Palestinians, as they did with Ukrainians
- Welcome the work of the International Court of Justice
- Accept the Amnesty International designation of Israel as an “apartheid state”
- Declare Sheffield an “Israeli Apartheid Free Zone”, as the Council did in 1981 in relation to South Africa.
On the day the Council refused to debate the issue – even though 7500 was well above the threshold number required of 5000 – passing it to the Strategy and Resources committee. They committed to issuing a cross-party statement of solidarity: “Our clear intention is to issue a cross-party statement of solidarity in line with the petition we heard at full Council as soon as possible, and ideally before the pre-election period which begins on 26th March” leader of the Council, Tom Hunt, on 12th March. This statement was issued on 25th March: ‘A cross-party statement of solidarity’
Palestine Solidarity Campaign says this was a total disappointment to the campaigners who organised the petition who have written a response.
“It is completely inadequate and very disappointing. It does not even mention Palestine in the title or anywhere else in the statement. So, who is it in solidarity with? We welcome the sentence in the document: ‘Israel must comply with the orders in the International Court of Justice’s interim ruling in full’. But there is no mention of apartheid and no commitment on behalf of the Council to do anything. The statement is not ‘in line with the petition’!”, said Annie O’Gara for the Coalition.
“This completely disregards the swell of opinion in Sheffield in support of Palestine. We collected those 7,500 signatures in less than two weeks, everywhere people are raising thousands of pounds for Palestinians. The Council and your councillor are letting us down. We urge you to vote in the local elections on May 5th for the candidate that is most sympathetic with Palestine”.
The Coalition is urging all electors to question candidates at hustings and on the doorstep:
- Do you accept Amnesty International’s designation of Israel as a state practising Apartheid across historic Palestine? YES / NO
- Do you agree with the International Court of Justice that credible evidence exists that Israel is committing the crime of Genocide in Gaza? YES / NO
- Do you support the International Court of Justice’s inquiry into the legal consequences of the 57 year long Israeli Occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan? YES /NO
- Do you support the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement? YES/NO
Annie O’Gara, who drafted the questions, told us “this issue has united people across communities and is deeply felt by many people in Sheffield. It is essential we know what our candidates think”.
I had a look at the different party’s websites to see what they had to say about Palestine.
Labour’s position is here. It reads ok until you realise what is missing. There is no condemnation of the illegal occupation of Palestine or the Apartheid system. They appear to see Israel and Palestine as two equals, rather than the oppressor and the oppressed. They don’t mention Genocide.
I searched the Sheffield Liberal Democrats site for “Palestine”, “Gaza” and “Israel” and got “No results found”. Cllr Joe Otten, (Chair of the Waste and Street Scene Policy Committee) has been outspoken on this and is the subject of an official complaint from Green Councillor Alexi Dimond over his comments that have been reported here. In this Tweet, Joe Otten seems to be supporting Zionism.
Sheffield Green Party have featured support for Palestine in election leaflets and Councillors have spoken at many of the demonstrations organised by Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. At Hagglers Corner you will see this .
Sheffield Green Party are members of the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. They have tweeted the following.
Sheffield Green Party are unequivocal in our support for Palestinians facing genocide and apartheid. We are proud to have proposed the first successful council motion in the UK calling for an immediate ceasefire & end to Israel’s genocidal campaign in Palestine. @SheffieldPSC
Sheffield Community Councillors don’t yet have a website or indeed any on-line presence that I can find, so it is difficult to know what they believe.
Sheffield Conservatives don’t mention Palestine on their website but the Conservative Government is supporting the Israeli Genocide by repeating their propaganda, selling arms and providing military support.
Sheffield TUSC has stood aside in Darnall Ward in favour of a pro-Gaza Independent candidate. However, I can find little of note on their website about Gaza apart from slogans like “Stop the War”. It will be interesting to see how they answer the PSC questions.
It seems to me that it is very clear which party Palestinian supporters should be voting for on May 2nd.
Landmark decision in the Royal Court of Justice finds in favour of Trudi Warner
Sheffield Defend Our Juries are celebrating following the High Court decision on Monday to dismiss the application of Robert Courts MP, the Solicitor General, to imprison Trudi Warner, a 69-year-old retired social worker. She held a sign outside Inner London Crown Court in March 2023 saying “that a jury has the right to acquit a defendant as a matter of conscience, whatever the directions of the judge” and coincided with the prosecution of a group of people for taking direct action to tackle climate breakdown and fuel poverty. Delivering the judgement of the court, Mr Justice Saini stated:
“The Solicitor General’s case does not disclose a reasonable basis for committal … It is fanciful to suggest that Ms Warner’s conduct [amounted to common law contempt].
Her placard simply summarised the principle of jury equity. Her conduct was consistent with information sharing.
She was in essence a human billboard.”
This followed a massive campaign involving silent protests outside every Crown Court in England and Wales last week, including Sheffield and Doncaster. Campaigners are breathing a deep sigh of relief that they are no longer threatened with being arrested, simply for holding a sign stating what the law says.
Last Tuesday 14 brave Sheffielders sat outside Sheffield Crown Court with the signs. On Thursday 11 people from around South Yorkshire gathered at Doncaster Crown Court to repeat the action. In February I joined more than three hundred people in writing a letter to the Solicitor General inviting him to prosecute us too. Last week alone more than 700 people replicated Ms Warner’s action. There would not have been room in our overcrowded prisons for all these people to be sent to jail.
Speaking immediately after the judgment, Ms Warner said:
“I’m relieved that some common sense has prevailed in this case and that the High Court agrees that holding up a sign about the rights of juries should not be treated as a crime. In my worst nightmares, I couldn’t have imagined that my hand-written sign would lead to a case of this gravity with such severe penalties. At the same time, I have no regrets. The support I’ve received from the public has been moving and wonderful and helped to ensure the vital democratic principle of jury equity is more widely understood around the country. Judge Reid and the Solicitor General might have wanted to conceal that principle from juries, but thanks to the public reaction their actions have had the opposite effect. I thank them for that. I would also like to express solidarity with Dr Sarah Benn, a medical doctor and public servant, who was last week found guilty of misconduct by the GMC after being imprisoned for holding up a sign saying ‘Stop New Oil’”.
Sheffield Defend Our Juries spokesperson Geraldine Roberts said,
“There is a 60,000 case backlog in the court and the government’s own Attorney General wasted taxpayers money bringing proceedings against a retired social worker for holding a sign with the law written on it.The Government should be working to tackle the problem of climate change, not contriving to imprison those who are raising the alarm about it.”
Ms Warner’s prosecution has attracted international attention, suggesting the Government’s crackdown on protest is backfiring. Newspapers from the US to Japan and India to Spain, have reported Ms Warner’s story under headlines such as:
“The right to protest is under threat in Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy”
Leading figures in law and the media have rallied to Ms Warner’s corner. Writing in the Barrister magazine, Richard Vogler, Professor of Comparative Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, University of Sussex, wrote:
“George Orwell noticed the tendency of repressive law to degenerate into farce, when truth becomes a lie and common sense is heresy. This is worth remembering today, when the Solicitor General … has concluded that it is a prosecutable offence for a climate campaigner, Trudi Warner to hold up a sign outside a criminal court, simply proclaiming one of the fundamental principles of the common law.”
Writing in Prospect Magazine ahead of the decision, Alan Rusbridger, former Editor of the Guardian, suggested that if the case were to proceed, he’d be ready to hold up a sign himself:
“Trudi has single-handedly made the law look an ass. It is incredible, with a 66,000-case backlog in the criminal justice system, that a single hour of court time is wasted on trying to convict and jail her.”
Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur for Environmental Defenders, spoke out publicly against these rulings in an extraordinary statement in January:
“I was … alarmed to learn that, in some recent cases, presiding judges have forbidden environmental defenders from explaining to the jury their motivation for participating in a given protest or from mentioning climate change at all.
It is very difficult to understand what could justify denying the jury the opportunity to hear the reason for the defendant’s action, and how a jury could reach a properly informed decision without hearing it, in particular at the time of environmental defenders’ peaceful but ever more urgent calls for the government to take pressing action for the climate.”
Why is it so important that the jury is able to hear the defendant’s reasons? Human actions can only be understood in their proper context. If a woman charged with assaulting her husband has been subjected to violent domestic abuse at his hands, the jury cannot do justice to the case if that history is concealed.
I once deliberately broke the door of a public toilet. If I had been charged with vandalism I would have needed to explain that my daughter was locked inside it and couldn’t get out!
If those charged with an offence of public nuisance have taken action only because they are in fear for their own lives, the lives of their children and the wider public, the jury should likewise be able to take that into account.
Let’s hope the justice system will now regain some sanity.
Please consider supporting the work of TelltheTruthSheffield.org
One-Time
Monthly
Yearly
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
£5.00
£20.00
£50.00
£5.00
£15.00
£100.00
£5.00
£15.00
£100.00
Or enter a custom amount
£
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlyResidents demand Safe Streets in Park Hill and Walkley
This was a fun family-friendly dual protest to demand pedestrian lights at the traffic lights at Duke Street crossing, safe streets in Walkley and Safe Streets everywhere! See https://safestreetsnow.co.uk/ for more details.
Here are some photos from the Walkley protest thanks to Jeremy Abraham’s.
The video includes the Zebra bravely crossing the roads (but doesn’t include the Mission Impossible soundtrack she did this to for copyright reasons!) Speeches from Cllr Brian Holmshaw (Green Party), Elle Dodd (Labour Party Candidate for Manor Castle) and Ruth Flagg Abbey (Green Party Candidate for Manor Castle) are included. It is pleasing that both Labour and the Greens supported this action. Hopefully, they will now work together to make sure this junction is made safe as soon as possible for pedestrians, cyclists and all road users. We held a minute’s silence for everyone killed by road violence this year. The children enjoyed chalking a zebra crossing on the road on the few occasions it was possible to attempt this! I didn’t get a video of my speech, so here it is.
I’m Graham Wroe. a local resident, blogger for TelltheTruthSheffield.org and writer for the Star and Telegraph.
Here we are at the most dangerous crossing for pedestrians in Sheffield!
Give me a shout if you have had a near miss at this junction.
What do we want? Safe crossing!
When do we want it? Now!
I have been campaigning for over 20 years for pedestrian lights here. I am quite certain that if this junction was in a more prosperous part of the city it would have been improved long ago. This junction is extremely dangerous to cross as there are no pedestrian lights and drivers don’t expect to encounter pedestrians when they have a green light. It is impossible to see all oncoming traffic when you are crossing. The Council think it is a low priority due to accident data, but the reality is pedestrians avoid the junction rather than putting their lives at risk.
What do we want? Safe crossing!
When do we want it? Now!
But it is not just this junction we want to improve.
Across the UK, someone is killed or seriously injured on our roads every 16 minutes. These sudden and unexpected tragedies leave in their wake ruined lives, grieving families and whole communities torn apart by what they have witnessed. They create a climate of fear which limits children’s play and makes the acts of walking, wheeling and scooting a source of anxiety rather than joy.
In 2022 1711 people were killed on our roads. That’s more than 4 people every day, or nearly 18 Hillsborough disasters every year. We can’t go on like this.
Recently in our Norfolk Park neighbourhood, on two separate occasions, cars have ended up on their side in crashes that fortunately didn’t involve others. But also as a pedestrian I have recently experienced unattentive drivers failing to stop at pedestrian crossings when the green man was showing and I had already started crossing. Both made me recall the horrific crash when my daughter’s friend’s child was killed crossing a pedestrian crossing.
So this week I kept a note of the reports in the Star about road collisions.
Thursday April 11th
Driver hunted after car crashed in pursuit. The driver of stolen Suzuki Swift crashed into a VW Golf at Retford Road. VW driver suffered minor injuries.
Friday April 12th
77-year-old woman injured in crash with life-changing injuries. One of 5 patients was involved in a serious crash on Occupation Lane, Hackenthorpe.
10-year-old boy was seriously injured after a collision. He was hit by a white Audi on Broom Road, Herringthorpe
Sat April 13th
Court case concerning Chris Marriott, who died after being hit by a car after he stopped to assist someone unconscious in the street in Burngreave.
Mon April 15th
Drone footage shows the aftermath of the M1 smash. A single-vehicle collision near J36.
2 52a buses going in opposite directions crashed causing gridlock on West Street. Roads and trams were both blocked
7 seriously hurt in a minibus crash on A1 near Darrington. The minibus carrying football fans overturned. 3 vehicles were involved.
Police chase involved the driver of a stolen Range Rover travelling at 80mph in a 30mph area, reversing down 60 mph roads and driving the wrong way around a roundabout before crashing at Parkgate, Rotherham
Tue-no paper
Wed April 17th
Electric bus stolen in Sheffield Interchange and driven to Killamarsh and crashed into another vehicle
Court case. Drunk driver jailed for 2 years 8 months and given a 10-year driving ban. He caused a 3 car crash at Bawtry Rd Rotherham causing serious injuries. He was 4 times over the legal alcohol limit.
Why do we let this death and destruction continue every day on our streets? What can we do to stop it?
Safe Streets Now has a clear list of demands for action from our Government, Council, Police and Prosecuting Services. Shout YES if you agree with them!
- We campaign to minimise road danger through improved driver and vehicle regulation in conjunction with people-centred design of our public spaces.
- We demand that within the next parliament, the government:
- Makes 20mph the default speed limit in built up areas
- Implements a nationwide ban on pavement parking
- Allocates 10% of highway spending to high quality infrastructure for walking, wheeling and cycling.
- We demand that the sentencing council
- Review its recommendations on driving bans for driving offences such that
- Lifetime bans are the automatic dispensation for the worst offences
- Longer bans are mandatory for less serious offences or near misses
- Review its recommendations on driving bans for driving offences such that
- We demand that the CPS/police services
- Impose interim driving bans as bail conditions for people arrested for or charged with causing death or serious injury by dangerous, intoxicated or careless driving.
- We demand that every local authority
- Establishes ‘school streets’ outside every viable primary school by 2030
- Focus their Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP) and delivery on safe pedestrian and cycle routes to all primary and secondary schools
- Use existing road pricing powers (with exceptions for disabled people, low-income workers etc) to reduce excess driving and raise money for local street improvements
If you do nothing else today please go to the Safe Streets Now website and sign up so you will be informed of any future events. Also ‘ join our Whats App group so you can keep in touch. Even better, write to your Councillors and demand action for Safe Streets Now!
Sheffield stands Together for Safe Streets
Press Release from Sheffield Safe Streets Now
• Campaigners gather at Park Hill and Walkley on Saturday, April 20 to participate in a national call for safer streets
• “We are gathering to demand safe streets at notorious junctions where the failure to provide adequate crossings or design safe street layouts is putting people at serious risk every day” says organiser Sam Wakeling
• Action is part of a day of events across the country to call for changes to streets to prevent deaths and injuries, backed by multiple national road safety and environmental pressure groups
Campaigners will gather this April 20th at Sheffield Trades and Labour Club by the Duke St and Talbot St junction, and in Walkley at Walkley Road, at 11 am to demand safer streets for Sheffielders. Organiser Sam Wakeling said “Every day we are put at risk by the dangerous roads cutting through our communities. From children going to school, to older people going shopping and everyone in between, we are tired of facing lethal danger just going about outside. In Walkley local parents have been campaigning for years for safe streets to get to their local primary schools. In Park Hill residents have pressed for 20 years for safe crossings of this notorious junction. Stories like these are repeated at almost every school and at countless junctions in Sheffield. We’ve heard our council supports safe streets – now we need to see results.”
The action forms part of a coordinated series of events organised by a coalition of community groups and national road safety and environmental campaign organisations called “Safe Streets Now” calling for an end to deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roads. At locations stretching from Torbay to Inverness, the day will feature a wide variety of actions, from banner drops, marches and vigils to joy-filled protected “Kidical Mass” bike rides for children. The group say that a renewed policy focus on reducing traffic danger will not only save lives currently lost in preventable collisions but will also make the nation’s streets happier, healthier and more vibrant places for everyone who uses them.
Safe Streets Now has sent an open letter to senior politicians including the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in advance of the day, outlining their demands for key changes, including default 20mph limits, a ban on pavement parking and increased resourcing for mobility lanes to better protect people walking, wheeling and cycling. The letter, which has been signed by multiple national campaigning organisations such as Brake, Roadpeace, 20’s Plenty, Possible, ActionVisionZero and MumsforLungs, also appeals to the Sentencing Council to revise their guidance on driving bans, so that dangerous drivers who kill people in crashes lose their licenses for good.
Notes to Editors
1. Safe Streets Now is a coalition of community groups and national pressure groups. It campaigns to eliminate deaths and serious injuries in traffic collisions, creating happier, healthier and more vibrant streets where people can play, travel and socialise free from fear.
2. The group had an inaugural national day of action in September 30th last year, across 15 different locations in England and Wales, which included Walkley in Sheffield – attended by local councillors including leader Tom Hunt
3. Campaigners have called for safe crossings on Talbot St junction with petition last year https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/make-talbot-street-bernard-street-duke-st-crossing-safe and Manor Castle Greens highlighting it since at least 2008 http://manorcastlegreens.sheffieldgreenparty.org.uk/2008/04/17/bernard-streetduke-street-traffic-lights/
4. In 2022, 28,031 people were seriously injured and 1711 were killed on UK roads
5. 1,890 children 0-16 years old were killed or seriously injured on UK roads in 2022
6. In 2014, only 12% of English primary school children usually travelled to school independently[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a8040f240f0b623026926cd/travel-to-school.pdf], compared with 86% in 1971 and 35% in 1990[Shaw, B., Fagan-Watson, B., Fraudendienst, B. et al. (2013) Children’s independent mobility: a comparative study in England and Germany (1971–2010). London: Policy Studies Institute]
Contact safestreetsnowsheffield@gmail.com for more information.
Sheffield University and Britain are complicit in genocide by developing and selling arms to Israel
March and Rally this Saturday, April 20th, at 11.00am from Mount Pleasant Park
Press Release from the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid
The Israeli government’s recent attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria, and Iran’s retaliation, have pushed the Middle East to the brink of regional conflict. But the origin of this conflict lies in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, and its annexation of land in the West Bank—actions that the UK explicitly supports through its continued sale of arms to Israel.
To demand that the UK government suspend the sale and transfer of arms to Israel, a rally will be held on Saturday, April 20, at 11:00 a.m., starting at Mount Pleasant Park and ending at City Hall.
All those who want their voices heard during this crucial moment in the fight against genocide and apartheid are encouraged to attend. Members of Sheffield Writers for Palestine will be meeting at the corner of Abbeydale Road and Crowther Place at 10:55 if you would like to march alongside us.
The rally has been organized by Educators for Palestine, a group of teachers, administrative assistants, and others who work in schools across the South Yorkshire area. Liaising with the Palestine Solidarity Committee and the Sheffield Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, Educators for Palestine decided to take the opportunity the Easter holidays offered to organize a demonstration that would insist on an end the UK’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza.
Despite numerous calls for an arms embargo against Israel, which is currently facing an investigation by the International Court of Justice for war crimes, Foreign Minister David Cameron has said the UK will continue to allow British companies to sell arms to the Israeli military. Nor have the Labour opposition made a clear statement in favour of an embargo. Instead, they have danced around the issue by asking to see the legal advice stating that international law has been broken to be released. Despite being a former human rights lawyer, Keir Starmer has lacked the courage to call for an embargo, categorically failing to be an opposition voice for the millions of Britons who want to see an end to genocide in Gaza.
It should be clear to anyone watching the unrelenting assault on Gaza over the past six months that crimes against humanity are being committed on a daily basis. Innocent civilians have been murdered. Children are starving. This is what has led to the destabilization of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, and until a ceasefire that gives justice to the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank is brokered, the danger of things spiralling out into a regional conflict will persist.
There is some great news here from Lowkey about the work of Palestine Action who are taking direct action against companies selling arms to Israel to support the genocide.
Tell the Truth Sheffield 