German Just Stop Oil protester who scaled Dartford Crossing bridge sparking 40 hours of gridlock for thousands of motorists faces being deported after his two-year jail term
One of the Just Stop Oil protesters who scaled the Dartford Crossing – sparking more than 40 hours of gridlock – faces being deported after his two-year jail term.
Marcus Decker, a German citizen who has leave to remain in the UK, said he had been served with a stage one deportation order.
The 34-year-old and fellow campaigner Morgan Trowland, 40, used ropes and other equipment to scale the 450ft high bridge at the Dartford Crossing last October.
They were handed sentences of two years and seven months and three years for the stunt.
Current laws state that any foreign national will be automatically deported if they have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison. It is not known whether Trowland has also received a deportation order and the Home Office refused to comment.
Marcus Decker, one of the Just Stop Oil protesters who scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and sparked more than 40 hours of gridlock, has revealed that he faces being deportation after his two-year jail term. He is pictured scaling the bridge last October
Decker, a German citizen who has leave to remain in the UK, said he is expecting a ‘negative response’ after being served with a stage one deportation order. He is pictured during his bridge protest last autumn
An Instagram account that is run in connection with Extinction Rebellion and regularly updates his supporters with news from prison said Decker, 34, could be forced out of the country ‘very soon’
An Instagram account linked to Decker announced the news of his deportation order and said he could be forced out ‘very soon’.
‘Marcus is a German citizen who had leave the remain in the UK,’ the post stated. ‘He is in prison on a 2 year 7 month sentence after taking action to block the QEII bridge on 17 and 18 October 2022 with @just.stopoil.’
It also contained an audio message from Decker, who is being held at Category C Highpoint Prison in Suffolk, where he says: ‘I was seen by an immigration officer the other day and got very bad news.
‘I’ve been served a stage one deportation order, very soon it sounds like, because as my sentence was over 12 months I meet the criteria for automatic deportation, which is very sad, and she said that it’s most likely going to be a negative response after I put all the paperwork in and then get a deportation order which cancels my leave to remain in the UK.
‘I’ve been living here for a few years and with my partner and her kids in a lovely family setting and that’s going to be a terrible disruption to all of our lives.
‘Not being able to live in this country anymore is pretty outrageous given that our action was an action of compassion and love to try to do good in the world.’
A Stage 1 letter in the deportation process notifies the person of the Home Office’s intention to remove them from the UK.
They are then allowed to explain why they believe they should be able to stay.
Deportation is usually automatic if a criminal’s sentence is over 12 months.
Decker (left) and fellow campaigner Morgan Trowland (right) used ropes and other climbing equipment to scale the 450ft high bridge at the Dartford Crossing last October. They were handed sentences of two years and seven months and three years for the stunt
Writing for Prospect in April, Decker said the climb was ‘a desperate last resort after we have spent years trying everything else’. He is pictured during the protest
The pair’s protest caused massive disruptions to traffic (pictured) and shut down the bridge for more than 40 hours
While many commented on the post to issue their support for Decker, others weren’t so forgiving.
One follower said on Instagram: ‘I honestly have no idea what you’re expecting.
‘Your actions have got you where you are. You are being punished for law breaking. Deal with it.
‘Maybe it will keep you off of another bridge somewhere else in the world.’
Another said: ‘They are passionate about their cause and want the world to change.
‘But if you knowingly do illegal things to protest then you have to accept the consequences.
‘I know some will say martyr and some well done depending on your views but breaking the law has to be punished or else there is societal breakdown.’
But others said they were ‘horrified’ by the news while another said it was ‘sacrifice upon sacrifice.’
One said: ‘Omg! Unbelievable. I’m utterly horrified. Our politicians and oil companies and other institutions are all committing crimes and are getting away with it.’
Another said: ‘I don’t know you but I’m so sorry. This is disgraceful. I’m ashamed of my country left and right. I’m just so sorry.’
‘I feel ashamed to be British,’ another added. ‘Know that you will always have a place here in the UK, at least in our hearts and minds.’
And another simply said: ‘I want my country full of people like Marcus.’
Just Stop Oil activists held a protest in Westminster, London last month (pictured)calling for Marcus Decker and Morgan Trowland to be freed from prison
Decker and Trowland scaled the bridge last autumn. They took banners representing the campaign group Just Stop Oil, which campaigns for an end to fossil fuels and has organised dozens of other protests, causing motorists a major headache.
Decker had given up his career as a musician to focus on full-time campaigning.
Writing for Prospect in April, Decker said the climb was ‘a desperate last resort after we have spent years trying everything else.’
He added: ‘In the middle of October, after leaving my partner and her two children behind, I straddled a cable with my friend Morgan at 3am and climbed 250ft up the QE2 Bridge, also known as the Dartford Crossing.
‘We are both well-trained as climbers and were safely secured as we nudged ourselves up the bridge.
‘Once at the top, we threw a line across the four-lane motorway and hung a huge orange banner which yelled JUST STOP OIL.
‘To make it more newsworthy, we then rigged up our two hammocks, and literally hung out for a total of 37 hours, causing a gridlock after police closed the bridge to traffic.’
He added: ‘Like a fire alarm we tried to be loud and annoying, impossible to ignore, in order to safeguard human life.’
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