This week in the UK, there has been a national week of action, defending the rights of our jury system. The campaign is called Defend Our Juries, and members of Christian Climate Action have been getting involved in their local areas.

Why do we need to Defend Our Juries?

Juries are widely accepted to be the safeguard we all have against abuse of power by politicians, ministers and those in positions of authority in our courts. But following a pattern of jury acquittals of those exposing government dishonesty and corporate greed through direct action, judges in UK courtrooms are denying both defendants and jurors their rights by restricting what defendants can say in their trials and by limiting what jurors are allowed to hear. People have been sent to prison just for using the words ‘climate change’ and ‘fuel poverty’ in court and banned from explaining their motivations to the jury.

What has been happening this week?

In March 2023, as Judge Silas Reid banned defendants in climate trials from explaining their motivations to the jury, and sent three people to prison just for using the words ‘climate change’ in court, Trudi Warner, a retired social worker, was moved to hold up a sign outside Inner London Crown Court, communicating the vital democratic principle ‘Jurors have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to their conscience’.  In response, Judge Reid had Trudi Warner arrested for contempt of court.

On the 18th of April, the Solicitor General’s application to commit Trudi Warner to prison was heard at the Royal Courts of Justice. In an act of solidarity, and a commitment to defend the UK jury system, hundreds of people gathered outside every single Crown Court across England and Wales from 13th to the 21st April.

Justice Pushpinder Saini will give a judgment as to whether Warner’s case will proceed to a full hearing on Monday 22nd April.

To find out more about the Defend Our Jurors campaign click HERE