Hi there!

We are Ruth, Ian, Nick, Phil, and Diana and we are five of the six protesters who took part in DLR Solidarity. We obstructed a DLR train at Canary Wharf in April, four of us on top, with Diana superglued to the side, as part of the first XR International Rebellion in April 2019.

Our Crown Court trial is in May. Now we need your support - please consider contributing to our legal costs and share this page with your friends and family. 

Case Background 

Our protest was reported around the world, helped raise the profile of Extinction Rebellion and the climate emergency, and played a part in the massive shift in the public debate and understanding of that emergency. It helped put the pressure on the UK government to take the first and necessary steps to urgent, decisive action being taken. Just days after our protest, Parliament declared a climate emergency, and our government is setting up a Citizens’ Assembly on Climate.

We are facing trial in May 2020, charged under the Malicious Damage Act of 1861. As our trial is to be held in the Crown Court, we will be tried by a jury.

We look forward to the opportunity we have been given to explain in front of the jury why we felt compelled to act as we did, and to bring the discourse around climate breakdown more fully into the UK courtrooms and legal system.  And we have a great legal team from Bindmans to help us!

We expect that our trial will get a fair bit of public attention. So we’re determined to spell out why the government needs to tell the truth about the climate and ecological emergency and to act NOW to protect the lives of young people, future generations, and vulnerable communities around the world who are already affected. 

We hope that at our trial we will have the chance to have our say and those following our trial will understand and agree with our views.

How much we are raising and why? 

Ian and Nick have legal aid for their defence costs. But Ian may have to pay extra defence costs if found guilty, eg possibly using capital such as equity on his house. So we are looking to fund the defence costs of Ruth, Diana, and Phil, as well as extra defence costs that are charged to Ian. As with all legal cases, it is impossible to know in advance precisely what these costs will be. But being a Crown Court case, we know they will be considerable: we expect to have to pay £thousands, possibly in five figures.

We've set an initial target of £10,000 to help us pay our share of the legal defence costs. The money goes directly to the solicitors at Bindmans. Costs will be higher because we are being represented by a top lawyer, a Queen’s Counsel, who has joined the team putting forward our case.

Please help if you can, as we can’t do this on our own! Every contribution is welcome, large or small. Every penny counts. 

If through your generosity we cover all of Ruth, Phil and Diana's legal defence costs, and extra legal defence costs that are charged to Ian, any extra will go straight towards other Extinction Rebellion legal cases. There are a lot of them!

If you are able to help, it would be great if you can do it now, to encourage others. And please share this page now with your friends and contacts.

With love and thanks,

Diana, Ruth, Phil, Nick and Ian