Insulate Britain activist Dr Christian Murray-Leslie had ink poured over him last week as he protested over climate change.
Blocking the A40 and M25 with other protesters, Dr Murray-Leslie was one of several who had a dark coloured substance squirted in their face by a man.
Dr Murray Leslie told reporters at the scene that he had spent his life trying to help people but now finds himself reduced to sitting in roads with fellow activists, many who have been gluing themself to the tarmac.
Writing in the Mirror, the retired doctor reveals his family are concerned that he us acquiring a criminal record for the first time at the age of 77.
But he also explains why he feels he must act and it could be the most important thing he’s ever done...
Do you agree? Have your say in the comment section
Recently, I’ve been sitting in some of the busiests roads in the country, annoying the public, taking up police time and acquiring a criminal record. My children, grandchildren and friends are concerned - for a previously law abiding, 77 year old, retired hospital doctor, it doesn’t seem a very sensible thing to be doing. On Wednesday 27th October, as someone poured ink over me, I sat in the road and reflected on how sad it was that someone had felt the need to do this. How they had misunderstood our actions and were blinded, hopefully temporarily, to the bigger picture.
Because there is a bigger picture. As Boris Johnson has just pointed out, shortages of food, conflict and mass migration is one possible future we now face. Our politicians have, so far, failed to act on the climate crisis and are failing to protect us. Mr Johnson says that we are 5-1 down at half-time. Faced with such a grim diagnosis and the obvious failure of my lifetime of lobbying MPs, signing petitions, marching, and lawfully demonstrating, doing nothing is not an option for me. Instead I’m taking peaceful disruptive actions to pressure those in power to act in the short time left to us.
I strongly dislike taking the actions I have, with their impact on the lives and businesses of ordinary hard working people, who have concerns and worries without my contribution. I feel under a moral duty to act, to protect those I love, the country I love, and those already most affected by the climate emergency - often the poorest people in the world. If helping vulnerable people in other countries does not motivate you, it is worth recognizing that this is now our future.
My inspiration and courage comes from those who acted before me, the civil rights protestors in the US, those who opposed apartheid and our own suffragettes, all of whom were deeply unpopular in their time.
Insulate Britain presents a practical, logical plan for the government to follow in order to reduce our carbon emissions by 15%. Home insulation for everyone would also prevent thousands of deaths from fuel poverty and stop millions of families from being cold and hungry every winter. Removing carbon emissions from our homes is essential to meet our carbon targets and was a 2019 Conservative manifesto promise. Mr Johnson please get started. Fitting air source heat pumps without insulating first will be a costly mistake. Sure insulating will cost money but the far, far bigger bill comes with not acting.
So if you are held up by a road block please understand why we are doing it and why nine brave souls are now facing prison as a result. We are in an emergency, my professional life was spent helping people with the severest neurological disabilities, yet what I am doing now feels far more important. I ask you, the ordinary people of Britain, to take courage and come forward and support us. Make sure you are on the right side of history, for failure to act now is to be complicit in genocide.
