Catholic priest fined for blocking M25 in Extinction Rebellion protest
An ordained Catholic priest has been fined after he brought traffic on the M25 to a standstill during a protest against climate change. Father Martin Newell, 54, was charged with wilfully obstructing traffic on the motorway during rush hour last September in a series of protests that cost an estimated £200,000.
Insulate Britain, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, wants the Government to insulate all UK homes by 2030 to cut carbon emissions. The group repeatedly blocked major roads between September and November, causing long traffic jams. Activists often glued their hands to roads or each other in order to make it harder for police to remove them.
The Roman Catholic priest was said to have been part of a large group of protesters who took park in a series of actions on the M25.
During the final protest, he also poured blue paint out of a tub onto the M25 causing around £190 worth of damage.
He was fined a total of £1,100 for all four offences and handed a three-month community order. He was also ordered to pay £191 compensation for causing criminal damage to the motorway and £85 court costs.