Tottenham Friend faces deportation for climate witness
917 days: ‘The longest sentence given to a non-violent protester in UK history’ according to a letter signed by Friends.
A Tottenham Friend had their request for bail approved last week, after spending over a year in prison for climate activism.
Marcus Decker was detained in Highpoint South Prison on charges of ‘public nuisance’ after he and Morgan Trowland scaled the QE2 bridge in the early hours of 22 October 2022 to drop a banner demanding the government stop any new investments and exploration of oil and gas. At the end of his sentence, Marcus risks deportation.
In a letter to the Home Office, Quakers – along with other people of faith – asked the home secretary, to ‘consider clemency’. ‘As people of faith, we take our duty to obey the laws of the state very seriously, but we also recognise that people of faith are sometimes compelled by obedience to God’s calling or simply by their conscience to take peaceful action which is against the law, in service of a higher purpose.’
The letter goes on to say ‘what Marcus did was a proportionate response to the scale of the climate crisis, which threatens the fabric of our societies and the future well being of all people. Marcus’s actions caused no harm to property and were non-violent in their planning and execution. Given this, his sentence was very lengthy, in fact the longest sentence given to a non-violent protester in UK history’.
Holly Cullen-Davies, Marcus Decker’s partner, who grew up attending Quaker Meetings, urged Friends to support Marcus by ‘filling out the boxes at the bottom of the letter’ (www.bit.ly/3OOl0cu) which ‘will count as a signature’, and signing a petition on the website Change.org (www.change.org/p/stop-the-deportation-of-a-peaceful-climate-activist). ‘Marcus has been in prison since the action in October 2022. He was remanded in custody straight away and sentenced six months, later for two years and seven months. He should have been released on 4 February, having done half his sentence; however he has a deportation order because he’s not a British citizen, even though he has pre-settled status. We’re appealing the deportation and the court case will probably happen some time this year.’
The case has received considerable support, including statements from George Monbiot and Chris Packham, and letters signed by over 100 scientists, another by over 200 doctors and healthcare professionals, and another by over 1,000 musicians, actors and artists, including Olivia Coleman and Bob Geldof.
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