Remember the names of the nine jailed Insulate Britain protesters – they are all heroes

The demonisation of the Insulate Britain protesters by sections of the media has been shocking, writes Donnachadh McCarthy

Supporters of the jailed Insulate Britain protesters on Lambeth Bridge in London (PA)

He was wrong. An Insulate Britain climate protector told the High Court judge last week, at his sentencing with the “Insulate Britain 9” for breaking an injunction, that if she jailed them, another 10 protectors would take each of their places; and if they arrested them, 100 would in turn take their places, until such time as the state acted to protect us from climate catastrophe.

Four days later, 124 climate protectors were arrested for breaking the same injunction by sitting on Lambeth Bridge and Vauxhall Cross. So, it was 13, not 10, new arrestees for each of the imprisoned Insulate Britain 9. They were protesting the imprisonment of the Insulate Britain 9 for breaking the injunction forbidding protests on all major roads across Britain.

It seems to me that the one – the only – climate promise the UK government has faithfully kept is their promise to crack down hard on climate protests. The authoritarian police and crime bill, demanded by Cressida Dick, head of the Metropolitan Police, to punitively punish a swathe of peaceful direct actions, was delayed following the outcry over the heavy-handed policing of the Sarah Everard vigil.