Eco-activists have gathered in central London to rally against the jailing of nine Insulate Britain activists for blocking the M25 in defiance of a court injunction.

They have sat down in the middle of Lambeth Bridge, preventing traffic from getting through, while others have amassed outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

Insulate Britain members staged a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 on October 8 and were sent to prison on Wednesday.

While they accepted breaking a High Court injunction, they claimed their actions were justified as a means to tackle climate change.

Insulate Britain – an Extinction Rebellion offshoot – have sat in the middle of busy roads, demanding the Government ensures all UK homes are properly insulated by 2030.

Ben Buse, 36, Roman Paluch-Machnik, 28, Oliver Rock, 41, Emma Smart, 44, Tim Speers, 36, and James Thomas, 47, were handed four-month sentences.

Ana Heyatawin, 58, and Louis McKechnie, 20, were jailed for three months for their part in the blockades.

Ben Taylor, 37, was given a six month sentence to ‘deter’ him from further breaches, after his court submissions on Tuesday were deemed ‘inflammatory’ and a ‘call to arms’.

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He said that he would ‘go and block the motorway at the earliest opportunity’ if he avoided prison.

Today protesters gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice, with activists reading out words spoken in court by Rock and Speers.

Reciting Rock’s speech into a microphone, one of the activists said: ‘I’m sure that everyone in this room is aware of the climate crisis.

‘I took action in an attempt to mitigate the suffering of those in this country who cannot afford to properly heat their homes and in an attempt to mitigate the enormous suffering which is already occurring, and which will only increase as the climate crisis accelerates.

‘We have all the information we need about this crisis but I think it’s important to connect with the emotional weight of the situation that is upon us.’

Reading Speers’ speech, another said: ‘In an insane world the sane will be seen as insane.

‘In a world where fossil fuel companies make up the largest delegation at a conference to revert climate catastrophe, in a world where 8,500 people die each year because they can’t afford to heat their own homes in one of the richest nations on earth, in a world where scientists warning us of a code red humanity is news for a day and forgotten the next.

‘This is the world in which I stand before you, arguing that a few hours of traffic is justified in the fight against extinction.’

One of those jailed, Smart, plans to begin a hunger strike, the groups supporters said outside court.

Judge Dame Victoria Sharp said there was no alternative to custodial sentences given that the group’s actions were so serious and they had made it clear they intended to further flout court orders.

She said: ‘The defendants, or some of them, seem to want to be martyrs for their cause and the media campaign surrounding this hearing appears designed to suggest this.

‘We, however, have to act dispassionately and proportionately.’

Injunctions were put in place from September 21 in an attempt to halt a wave of protests on major roads in London.

Insulate Britain had brought the M25 to a standstill on several occasions when its activists sat in front of traffic, sometimes gluing themselves to the tarmac.

Judges ordered each of the activists to pay £5,000 towards National Highways’ costs, making a total of £45,000.

Insulate Britain has said it intends to continue its protests, despite the High Court issuing five injunctions so far.

They include one for Transport for London (TfL) and four to National Highways – banning protests on the M25, around the Port of Dover and on major roads around London.

Those who breach the injunctions could be found in contempt of court and face an unlimited fine or up to two years in prison.

Further committal proceedings are expected to be issued against other Insulate Britain members over protests on October 27.

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