A history of unpopular protest: When is it morally justified to assert the primacy of the individual conscience against the law of the land?

On 16 February this year, seven Just Stop Oil protesters were found guilty of peacefully blocking the distribution of oil from the Esso Fuel Terminal in Birmingham in the UK. All were sentenced to 12 months conditional discharge with costs of up to £500. However, it was the views of District Judge Wilkinson, in sentencing them, that caught the news. “It is abundantly clear that you are all good people,” he said. “It’s unarguable that man-made global warming is real and we are facing a climate crisis. That is accepted and recognised by the scientific community and most governments (including our own).” Nevertheless, Wilkinson was forced by his position to conclude: “If good people with the right motivation do the wrong thing it can never make that wrong thing right.”