UK anti-lockdown protesters sentenced for using 'abusive words and threatening behaviour' toward BBC journalist
Five U.K. protesters who "intimidated" Nick Watt, a BBC journalist, were sentenced on Tuesday. The judge stated that the anti-lockdown activists used "abusive words and threatening behaviour," reported the Independent.
On June 14, 2021, protesters gathered in Westminster to demonstrate against the government's lockdown response to COVID-19. At the time, England officials had just announced that they would extend the existing lockdown for another four weeks.
A video from the demonstration showed BBC journalist Nick Watt being followed around Downing Street by protesters. The activists in the footage "intimidated" Watt by calling him a "traitor" and banging on a metal baking sheet with a spoon.
The five convicted protesters included Djazia Chaib-Eddour, 44; Martin Hockridge, 58; Alexander Peat, 34; Christopher Aitken, 62; and Gary Purnell, 45.
All denied using threatening, abusive, or insulting words or behavior with intent to cause harassment, alarm, or distress. However, the court found each of them guilty of verbally abusing Watt.
Purnell, Peat, and Hockridge were each sentenced to 12 months of mandatory community orders and 200 hours of unpaid work. Chaib-Eddour received a 12-month community order, 100 hours of unpaid work, and 20 hours of rehabilitation.
An indefinite no-contact restraining order for Watt was placed against all of the demonstrators. In addition, they were each ordered to pay a fine of £395.
An arrest warrant was issued for Aitken, but he did not attend the hearing. Another protester, Joseph Olswang, 40, pleaded guilty at an earlier trial and was sentenced to 20 weeks in jail.
"This was an extremely unpleasant incident in which each of you used abusive words and threatening behaviour towards Mr. Watt," stated District Judge Louisa Cieciora. "This was committed against somebody who was providing a service to the public, even if you did not agree that service was being performed to the standard it should have been."
"At the time of the incident I was shocked and alarmed at what was happening to me," Watt said in his victim impact statement. "I felt I was in immense danger."
In a YouTube interview with Resistance GB, activist Martin Hockridge said, "I very carefully used the word 'traitor' to describe the BBC because they've committed treason. Their role – which Nick Watt stated many times – was to educate, educate and inform in an impartial way the British public."
Alexander Peat told Resistance GB that the protesters were found guilty before they ever entered the court. He said, "It was trial by mainstream media even before we got into court." Peat referred to the court system as a sham and stated, "It was clear to me we were never going to stand a fair trial."
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BBC host tries to shame Guyana president about climate change and gets utterly STEAMROLLED
Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali didn’t hesitate to shut down BBC journalist Stephen Sackur when he attempted to bait the head of state into climate change apologetics.
“Over the next decade, two decades, it is expected that there will be $150 billion worth of oil and gas extracted off your coast,” Sackur began. “That means, according to many experts, more than two billion tons of carbon emissions will come from your seabed from those reserves and be released into the atmosphere. I don’t know if you, as a head of state, went to the …”
But Ali interjected before he could finish.
“Let me stop you right there,” he fired back. “Do you know that Guyana has [had] a forest forever that is the size of England and Scotland combined – a forest that stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon, a forest that we have kept alive?”
“Does that give you the right to release all of this carbon?” Sackur asked.
“Does that give you the right to lecture us on climate change?” Ali said, finger pointed directly at the interviewer. “I’m going to lecture you on climate change because we have kept this forest alive that stores 19.5 gigatons of carbon that you enjoy, that the world enjoys, that you don't pay us for, that you don't value.”
“Guess what: We have the lowest deforestation rate in the world. And guess what: Even with our greatest exploration of the oil and gas resource we have now, we will still be net zero,” he continued.
“This is the hypocrisy that exists in the world. The world in the last 50 years has lost 65% of all its biodiversity; we have kept our biodiversity. Are you valuing it? Are you ready to pay for it? When is the developed world going to pay for it? … Or are you in the pockets of those who have damaged the environment … of those who destroyed the environment through the Industrial Revolution and are now lecturing us?”
Pat Gray relishes Ali’s tirade.
“He just beat the crap out of [Sackur],” he says. “What do you suggest we do for energy in Guyana? Are we going to switch our economy to solar and wind here in a developing nation? Is that what you want, Mr. BBC broadcaster – you want our people to starve? ... What do you want here from the third world?”
“That guy was awesome – spitting fire,” adds Keith Malinak.
To hear President Ali make mincemeat of yet another climate apologist, watch the clip below.
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