![](https://d2ksr9467jthww.cloudfront.net/2024050322054/243a7219-298c-4d75-844c-e173c3aa1585.jpg)
Environmental activists will be sentenced for roles in Nanaimo Hwy. blockades and protests
NANAIMO — A judge disagreed with the defence arguments from two environmental activists, who said they had no choice but to break the law to draw attention to the dangers of climate change.
Judge Ronald Lamperson rejected the arguments in cases involving Howard Gerald Breen, 70, and Melanie Joy Murray, 48, who were indicted on multiple charges related to highway blockades and other protests in Nanaimo from late 2021 to early 2022.
During the Friday, May 3 ruling in Nanaimo provincial court, Lamperson said he disagreed with the ‘defence of necessity’ argument, with the defendants claiming their actions were justified due to the severe threat of climate change.
“Whether human and other life on earth survives the perils caused by climate change is not dependent on the actions taken by the defendants, whether the defendants did anything legal or illegal.”