Extinction Rebellion prosecutions showed the spectrum of climate protest

There were professionals and parents, tears and eloquence, as the courtrooms filled to overflowing

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In the past two years, I have spent a lot of time at City of London magistrates court. As part of Extinction Rebellion's media team, I have followed the mass prosecution of hundreds of peaceful climate campaigners.

It began with plea hearings for those charged after our April protests. Every Friday through the summer and autumn of 2019, two courtrooms filled to overflowing with XR defendants, their friends and supporters. The media coverage of April had showcased the young and the flamboyant, but the people who appeared were from across the spectrum: professionals, parents, retirees, the vast majority first-time activists.