Photo courtesy of @sheepistakingphotos
Two individuals pleaded not-guilty today in Westminster Magistrates Court to charges of Criminal Damage valued at £20,000 following a protest at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) last March, with one more individual appearing at the same court on 6/1/23.
The two who were seen today will appear at 10am on February 1st at Inner London Crown Court, as confirmed by solicitor Ghislaine Sandoval of Hodge, Jones, and Allen.
The protest saw MSC’s London office sprayed with blood red paint as the group, Animal Rebellion, called for an end to fishing in favour of sustainable alternatives.
On 21st March 2022, three people sprayed the headquarters of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blood red, calling on the organisation to stop certifying the fishing industry and instead support a just transition to sustainable alternatives [1].
The individuals involved appeared before Westminster Magistrates Court today charged with ‘Criminal Damage’ valued at £20,000. The case will now appear before a jury in Crown Court. The maximum sentence for criminal damage of over £5,000 is 10 years in prison.
"Charge Sheet" detailing the charge of criminal damage
The nonviolent protest group, Animal Rebellion, used modified fire extinguishers to spray the building with paint, before sitting down holding placards that read: “Protect the Seas - End Fishing” and “MSC - Stop Certifying Destruction”.
Francesca Vaz, a 27-year-old social care worker and one of those in court today, said this before the hearing:
“When I watched the documentary ‘Seaspiracy’ I realised that the Oceans are not dying, they are being killed.
“My heart broke knowing that organisations like the Marine Stewardship Council exist to exploit the problem and not solve it. Making millions of pounds in the process.
“A building painted red does not even come close to the damage, lives lost and the harm being done to sea life. We urgently need a plant-based food system and to take care of our natural world.”
The action was part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future. The animal and climate justice group is urging wholesale governmental and societal support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.
Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.
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