Protesters outside Northampton court as Extinction Rebellion campaigners face charges

A group of protesters has set up outside Northampton Magistrates' Court as defendants are due to face charges for a previous protest.

Six defendants will face charges of criminal damage relating to an extinction rebellion protest at Barclays in Brackmills on February 26.

Earlier this year, protesters spread black dye representing oil around the reception area and over a Barclays logo on the wall highlighting what they claim was the banking giant gambling with the planet's future, by using fossil fuel.

Four out of the five protesters outside court today (October 22) are defendants in the case.

Ahead of the hearing, one of the defendants Alan Heath, from Kettering, said: “I’ll be pleading not guilty. Barclays is a massive investor in fossil fuels. The house is on fire. There’s an ecological crisis.

“It’s our duty to protect people - ourselves and other people.

“In 2019 a jury at Southwark Crown Court found two XR protestors not guilty of vandalism because their response was proportionate to the threat facing us.”

Luke Adams, Martyn Lyman, Daniel Shaw, Linda Davidson, Dave Lane and Alan Heath will all appear in court this afternoon.

More to follow after the court case has concluded.

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