On climate issues, where is the line between ‘concerned campaigner’ and ‘fanatic’?
If you are a climate activist taking part in protests and direct action, where is that line crossed? - legally? - ethically?
These are the central questions of our latest
@bbcradio4 documentary – broadcast this weekend.
‘Crossing The Line’ tells the story of Middle England mum and special educational needs teacher Louise Lancaster.
One day a few years ago, Louise took up direct action climate activism. She went on to receive one of Britain’s longest ever jail terms for peaceful protest.
Louise was one of five
@just.stopoil activists involved in bringing much of the M25 to a standstill in November 2022, and has taken part in several other high-profile acts of direct action climate protest.
She served part of her sentence in HMP Bronzefield, the UK's highest security women's prison, alongside some of Britain's most notorious killers.
The judge, in sentencing Louise and a number of co-defendents, told them:
"Each of you has some time ago crossed the line from concerned campaigner to fanatic.
"You have appointed yourselves as the sole arbiters of what should be done about climate change, bound neither by the principles of democracy nor the rule of law."
The presenter and producer is
@patricksteel.film of
@fattoadfilms , a journalist who had been following Louise’s story for several years – and brought the idea to us at
@bespoken_uk to pitch to Radio 4. He made the programme alongside Bespoken's Carys Wall.
Patrick says: "I wanted to know what would lead someone with such a seemingly comfortable and secure existence to give that up by deliberately breaking the law?
"The more I explored her journey from herthe leafy village of Grantchester to a high security prison, the more I began to understand her motivations, the impact on her family and those around her, and how far she was willing to go to bring attention to the climate emergency."
Crossing The Line will be first broadcast on Radio 4 on Sunday 29 June at 1330, then repeated on Monday 30th June at 1600. It will be available soon after first broadcast at the link in our Linktree in bio.
