A German climate activist is fighting what he describes as a "crazy double punishment" as he appeals against deportation after serving one of the longest prison sentences in modern British history for peaceful protest.
The protest that sparked the legal battle
Marcus Decker, a 36-year-old teacher and musician, was jailed for two years and seven months after climbing the Queen Elizabeth Bridge over the Dartford Crossing in October 2022 and unveiling a Just Stop Oil banner. The protest caused significant disruption, with Decker acknowledging that some people missed funerals and hospital appointments while stuck in traffic.
Despite being released from prison in February 2024 after serving 16 months, Decker now faces automatic deportation after receiving a letter from the Home Office while still incarcerated. He remains under strict conditions including an ankle tag, mandatory reporting to the Home Office every other week, and travel restrictions.
Groundbreaking legal challenge with high-profile support
Decker's case, heard at a tribunal in central London, could set a significant precedent as he would become the first person in the UK to be deported for peaceful protest. His legal challenge has attracted remarkable support from climate experts, religious leaders, celebrities and members of the public who gathered outside the immigration tribunal.
The UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, Michel Forst, sent a 10-page letter to the UK government, while 22 Nobel prize laureates and 562 actors, musicians and other artists have expressed their support. Much of this backing is being presented as evidence in his appeal.
Voices of support and concern
Lord Hain, the former cabinet minister and anti-apartheid movement leader, questioned the justification for deportation, stating: "It is difficult to see how the further step of deportation can be justified. That seems to me to cross a line and become unnecessarily punitive."
The former archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, expressed concern that "deportation will reinforce the growing perception that environmental activism at the moment attracts excessively punitive sentencing and assimilates activists to terrorists."
Sir David King, former chief scientific adviser to the UK government, described the protest action as a "reasonable and proportionate response in light of the escalating climate crisis."
Meanwhile, actor Juliet Stevenson highlighted the personal impact, noting that Decker serves as a father figure to his partner Holly Cullen-Davies's two children, and his removal "would do them untold harm and cause unnecessary anguish and abandonment."
Activist's perspective on the climate emergency
Decker explained his motivation for the protest, referencing the climate crisis that saw "whole countries either on fire, or a third of Pakistan underwater that year in 2022, while London experienced 40C heat for the first time."
He expressed remorse for the immediate harm caused by the protest but maintained that "if you put it in the greater perspective, zoom out, then we have to keep trying different approaches to addressing these crises, to make change for the greater good."
The tribunal's decision is expected at a later date, while the Home Office has been approached for comment. The outcome could have significant implications for how the UK treats environmental activists and sets precedents for deportation cases involving peaceful protest.
