British Grand Prix perpetrators found guilty at a UK court after last year’s disruption at Silverstone
British Grand Prix perpetrators from last year have been found guilty by the jury after a three-day long hearing process.
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Just as the new Formula 1 2023 season is getting ready to get started, a verdict from a nuisance which was caused at last year’s British GP has been made in favor of the racing franchise. The fans might remember that when the F1 circus had reached Silverstone for the race in 2022, the events of the weekend were disrupted by some environmental activists who wanted to stop the proceedings of the Grand Prix. It was later discovered that the six protesters were from a group that called themselves “Just Stop Oil”, and they had raised their voice against fuel usage in the king class of motorsports.
The climate activists from Just Stop Oil were detained following their interruption, and they were charged with risking “serious harm” to the F1 drivers and race marshals by invading the track at Silverstone. They were taken to court, and a year-long legal battle followed. Finally, the verdict is in and the jurors at the Northampton Crown Court found the six perpetrators guilty of the charges placed against them.
During the proceedings of the trial, the legal side representing Formula 1 was armed with evidence to show how the four convicted men and the two allegedly guilty women had created a “public nuisance”. The footage that was presented to the court showed that five of the protesters were sitting on the circuit to voice their opinions, and just as two Formula One cars passed by, they were dragged away from their spot. But, from the side of the convicted, they claimed that the protest was “meticulously” planned and it did not pose harm to anyone.
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Lewis Hamilton had posted on his Instagram to criticize the activists
As the court sessions went on, Just Stop Oil did not stop to allege the authorities at Silverstone of mistreating the protesters. They said two of the activists were imprisoned right after the event. The others were tagged with electronic devices, and were placed under house arrest. The decision-making took a total of eight hours and 47 minutes over three days, and finally, the jurors claimed that they have found the perpetrators to be guilty.
The verdict from the Silverstone GP mishap brings to mind what British racer Lewis Hamilton said right after the event had ended. He criticised the activists for their dangerous protest and wrote on Instagram about how Formula 1 is a dangerous sport and there was no need for the disruption in the Grand Prix to have their voices heard.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)