Olympian avoids jail over Extinction Rebellion protest
AN OLYMPIC gold medallist who helped disrupt the journeys of 500,000 commuters in an Extinction Rebellion protest was spared jail as a judge commended his commitment to the cause.
Etienne Stott, 40, was awarded an MBE after winning the slalom event with Tim Baillie at the 2012 London Olympics.
He denied breaching a section 14 public order notice after blocking Waterloo Bridge with other climate activists on April 15 last year but was convicted at City of London magistrates’ court yesterday. Body worn film footage played to the court showed protesters chanting “turn this system round” while a police officer arrests Stott for refusing to move.
When the officer tells Stott he is going to arrest him, the canoeist responded: “I’m going to lie down.”
The canoeist, from Nottingham, told the court: “I was acting according to conscience and motivated by a genuine sense of fear and a sense of duty. David Attenborough says we are facing the collapse of civilisation and for me that is just a terrifyingly real prospect.”
District Judge Michael Snow said: “He believes he can see on the horizon the four horsemen of the apocalypse riding towards us because of a failure to address environmental breakdown and climate change. I have absolutely no hesitation in recognising that he is a man of commitment to his cause and it’s a cause he’s anxious to highlight.”
But, saying that an estimated 500,000 people were affected that day, he added: “There was a serious impact on business and an ability to operate normally.”
The judge said Stott would not be jailed due to his previous good character and passionate belief in climate change. He received a conditional discharge for nine months and was ordered to pay £300 in costs.