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Six environmental activists who attempted to disrupt the British F1 GP by running on to the track have been charged with conspiracy to cause a public nuisance by the Northampton court, where they recently appeared.
The six have been identified to be David Baldwin (46), Emily Brocklebank (23), Alasdair Gibson( 21), Louis McKechnie (21), Bethany Mogie (40) and Joshua Smith (29).
They wore orange jumpsuits with 'Just Stop Oil' written across them. Two of them are in custody and have not been granted bail, while the four others were granted bail before the plea hearing, which will be held on October 3.
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Initially, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton supported the activists, saying:
“I just said big up the protestors. I love that people are fighting for the planet. We need more people like them.”
However, following the incident at the British GP, Mercedes were quick to put out a statement saying that their driver did not endorse their method of protest, as it 'compromised their safety':
“Lewis was endorsing their right to protest but not the method they chose, which compromised their safety and that of others.”
Lewis Hamilton urged protesters and activists to use safer methods at F1 venues
Following the British GP incident, Lewis Hamilton urged the protesters not to put themselves at risk by invading the race track. While the Briton endorses environmental and social causes, protestors' method of protest has been criticised by the F1 fraternity.
The former world champion said after the British GP:
“As we’ve seen today, this is a very dangerous sport. I wasn’t aware of the protests today, and while I will always support those standing up for what they believe in, it must be done safely. Please don’t jump onto our race circuits to protest; we don’t want to put you in harm’s way.”
A video surfaced on social media showing all six protestors jumping dangerously across the fence to run onto the F1 circuit in Silverstone when the marshalls were busy after Zhou Gunayu's crash and the yellow flags.
