Thirteen members of the protest organization Animal Rising have been fined £56,875 ($72,345 in today’s currency) and given suspended criminal sentences after causing £100,000 ($127,200) worth of damage to an Arla Foods outlet in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK .
The defendants were sentenced to a total of 1,550 hours of network service and 168 months of suspended imprisonment.
The court heard that activists used drills to drill holes in truck tires and bolt cutters for air valves; More on this here.
Inspector Donna Norris of Hertfordshire Police’s public order crimes team and senior investigating officer, said the sentences were “the culmination of almost two years of work in what has been a complicated and complicated investigation”.
“These thirteen defendants showed up at a dairy distribution center and caused tens of thousands of pounds of damage,” Norris said. “They were protesting climate change and animal welfare and whatever your opinion on the issue, that doesn’t mean you can take the law into your own hands and damage other people’s property.
“This is a pre-planned incident, much of which was caught on camera and posted on social media. I hope those sentences reassure the public that we will seriously address issues like these and that offenders will be brought to justice.
“The protection and welfare of our colleagues will be our number one priority and we therefore welcome the decisions of St Albans Crown Court, which aim to protect our colleagues, our farm owners and our business from any action in the future.
In an article about X, Animal Rising said the burden of the sentences “could hardly be more excessive. ” “We can obviously see that valid, non-violent protesters face longer criminal sentences and more excessive monetary consequences across the UK.
“Over the last week it has become clear that the government’s tough new protest legislation is not compatible with its objectives and only has an effect on those campaigning for peace and a safer future. “