Snooker star whose game was halted by Just Stop Oil fanatic demands tougher jail terms for activists – as Rishi Sunak blasts ‘selfish’ zealots ahead of massive four-day demo in London this weekend
- Joe Perry said sport is an ‘easy target’ and said there is ‘not enough deterrent’
- Activists disrupted snooker, Grand National and threatened London Marathon
The snooker star whose game was halted by a Just Stop Oil fanatic has demanded tougher jail terms for activists – after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak blasted the ‘selfish’ zealots ahead of their massive four-day demo this weekend.
This year’s Snooker World Championships were interrupted when Just Stop Oil activist Edred Whittingham got on the table in the Rob Milkins against Joe Perry first-round match at the The Crucible in Sheffield on Sunday before covering it in orange powder.
Another was prevented from trying to glue herself to the other table by referee Olivier Marteel in the Allen v Fan Zhengyi match.
The stunt has sparked fury, with MPs demanding a tougher crackdown on protesters who break the law.
Speaking to TalkTV last night, Mr Perry said that sport is an ‘easy target’ and questioned how long it might be until The Open or Wimbledon is affected by the protesters.
The snooker star whose game was halted by a Just Stop Oil fanatic has demanded tougher jail terms for activists – after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak blasted the ‘selfish’ zealots ahead of their massive four-day demo this weekend
This year’s Snooker World Championships were interrupted when a ‘ Just Stop Oil ‘ activist got on the table in the Rob Milkins against Joe Perry, 48, was first-round match in Sheffield on Sunday before covering it in orange powder
But despite no one getting hurt, security and player safety have immediately come under scrutiny given the ease with which the protest was executed. Pictured, protester Edred Whittingham being escorted out of The Crucible Theatre
Presenter Vanessa Feltz told Mr Perry that Edred Whittingham had already been in prison twice, the first for a couple of days and the second for a ‘week or so’.
Asking if more is needed to be done to create a deterrent for activists like him, Mr Perry said: ‘By the sounds of that, then yeah because like you say it’s not a deterrent. He’s been punished so far, it’s not stopped him from continuing to do his protests.
‘But then, if he’s that intent on protesting and getting his message across, is anything going to stop him, you know? I don’t know… It’s a whole new bag that I’m not qualified to talk about.
‘I don’t know if you can stop these people, they’re so intent on getting the message across, I don’t know the answers.’
Former World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn told TalkSport: ‘We are such a soft touch as a nation – smack their wrists, give them a small fine, maybe a bit of community hours, a month in prison. It’s a ludicrous situation. The problem is there’s not enough deterrent out there.’
It comes after police and judges must end the country’s growing wave of chaotic eco protests, MPs said on Sunday night after the stunt was pulled.
He also spoke to Vanessa Feltz on TalkTV where he admitted feeling sympathy for the activists but insisted that there was other ways of going about it
‘I don’t know if you can stop these people, they’re so intent on getting a message across,’ he said. ‘I don’t know the answers. ‘I’m all for people defending the cause, and it’s a rightly cause you know – there is genuine concerns out there. But I personally don’t think it’s the best way to go about it’
Play was suspended at the World Championship after protester Edred Whittingham vandalised table one and a second person tried to attach themselves to table two
Rishi Sunak vowed to bring in tougher laws to stop protesters ruining ‘great British sporting events’ with their ‘selfish and reckless behaviour’.
However there was mounting frustration among Conservative politicians who demanded drastic and immediate action.
‘If there is one whiff of trouble from these eco idiots then they should be immediately rounded up, detained and then charged,’ said party deputy chairman Lee Anderson.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith added: ‘It’s very simple. The law is there, they should arrest them.
‘Their right to protest is swept away by the aggressive nature in which they destroy everybody else’s rights.
‘What the Government, the police and the judiciary have to do is act severely to make sure that they understand the consequences of their actions.’
And Gareth Johnson, Conservative MP for Dartford, said: ‘It’s outrageous that these groups are literally blackmailing us to demand that we must all adopt their agenda. If everybody behaved like this we would have total anarchy.’
Extinction Rebellion, which declared in January it was moving away from disruptive tactics, yesterday claimed it could be ‘forced to unquit’ if ministers did not agree to its demands on halting state support for fossil fuel.
It is leading a coalition of more than 200 groups including Greenpeace that will descend on London for four days of climate protests from Friday.
It revealed yesterday it will stage an event on Sunday centred on the ‘final stretch’ of the marathon, where the 50,000 runners will be completing the 26.2 mile race, many raising cash for good causes.
Spokesman Marijn van de Geer insisted the activists were not aiming to directly inconvenience people but admitted the race might face ‘logistical disruption’.
Race director Hugh Brasher said XR had ‘assured us they do not wish to disrupt the TCS London Marathon’ but added: ‘We are working closely with the Metropolitan Police and other stakeholders on the safety and security of the event.’
Eco group Just Stop Oil, which was behind Monday’s snooker stunt at the Crucible in Sheffield, refused to rule out disrupting the marathon more directly.
Police largely managed to prevent an attempt by protesters from Animal Rising to invade the Grand National on Saturday after a Mail on Sunday undercover reporter revealed their plans. However the Liverpool race was delayed for 15 minutes and 118 people were arrested.
Commenting on the protests, Mr Sunak said: ‘People who disrupt decent, law-abiding people’s lives, trying to gratuitously ruin great British sporting events that many have worked hard and saved to enjoy should be ashamed of their selfish and reckless behaviour.
Rishi Sunak (pictured on Monday) vowed to bring in tougher laws to stop protesters ruining ‘great British sporting events’ with their ‘selfish and reckless behaviour’
Extinction Rebellion , which declared in January it was moving away from disruptive tactics, yesterday claimed it could be ‘forced to unquit’ if ministers did not agree to its demands on halting state support for fossil fuel
Eco group Just Stop Oil, which was behind Monday’s snooker stunt at the Crucible in Sheffield, refused to rule out disrupting the marathon more directly
Edred Whittingham is pictured being dragged off the table and out of the premises after pulling his stunt with orange powder
‘Last year the Government introduced new laws to clamp down on this appalling behaviour but it’s clear more is needed. That’s why we are pressing ahead with our Public Order Bill to create a range of new criminal offences targeting these people.’
A Government amendment to the Bill, published in January, would have broadened the definition of ‘serious disruption’, allowing police to intervene earlier.
But it was overturned by opposition peers by 254 votes to 240 in the House of Lords the following month.
A Government source said last night: ‘Labour should get behind our Public Order Bill so we can give police the powers they need.’ But a Labour source responded: ‘Yet again the Conservatives will blame anyone but themselves for the chaos on their watch.
‘Labour is clear that there is no justification for dangerous and disruptive protests which put lives at risk.’
Eco protests Q&A
Why can’t the police act pre-emptively?
Because there is a right to peaceful protest, chief constables are reluctant to appear heavy-handed. Police have no powers to arrest protesters who have yet to commit any crime. However, the Public Order Bill – currently in the final stages in parliament – will create Serious Disruption Prevention Orders, dubbed ‘Asbos for crusties’.
A court can be asked to impose the civil order on an activist, placing them under a variety of restrictions. If there is evidence the activist plans further protests they can be charged and jailed for up to 51 weeks. SDPOs are effectively designed to be ‘pre-emptive strikes’ against known troublemakers – but are not yet available for use.
Can activists be jailed as soon as a protest starts?
Activists are treated individually under the law and the offences which each can be arrested for are relatively minor and in many cases do not carry a custodial sentence. This means that – even if they are charged by police – protesters will not be remanded in custody. In more serious cases, some juries have proved reluctant to convict environmental protesters.
What are ministers doing?
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act – passed last year – raised the maximum penalty for ‘wilful obstruction of the highway’ to 51 weeks in jail.
The Act also increased police powers to impose conditions on demonstrations, including on noise grounds. However a series of other proposals met opposition in Parliament and had to be dropped. Ministers are now close to getting those measures on to the statute book under a new Public Order Bill.
What happens next?
When the Public Order Bill gains royal assent it will create the disruption orders described above and hand a range of powers to police. There will be criminal offences to crack down on ‘locking on’ – where protesters secure themselves to infrastructure such as road gantries. It will become a crime to interfere with ‘key national infrastructure’ including roads, railways, airports and newspaper printing presses. Police will also get more powers to stop and search.
Source: Read Full Article
