AN activist who was arrested after a graffiti spray painting attack on the office of Warrington South MP Andy Carter has issued a statement after being charged with criminal damage.
Paul Sheeky, 45, an activist from Extinction Rebellion Warrington, was arrested after spray painting slogans on the windows of the Warrington Conservatives’ Office on Stafford Road near Stockton Heath.
In his statement Sheeky stated he was “Inspired by the 2016 film I, Daniel Blake, he wrote ‘I, Paul Sheeky, am fed up with their failure’ on the window. He referred to it as an act of ‘mindful vandalism’.
He added: “The act was designed to highlight the similarities between the current pandemic and the climate emergency, and the government’s failure to act in a timely manner on both.
“It’s quite clear that if the government had prepared better and acted sooner at the start of the pandemic, many more lives could have been saved”.
“It’s the same with the climate crisis, we need to be acting now to reduce emissions, not just reacting to extreme weather as it comes.”
Sheeky was arrested for criminal damage at lunchtime, yesterday. He says he used washable yellow chalk spray on the office windows. He says he started thinking about doing it after the record-breaking floods earlier this year, which he links to climate change.
“Warmer air holds more moisture, so clouds contain much more rain, which now comes down in more concentrated bursts. This is only going to get worse. But it’s this government’s repeated lies and failure that really got to me. I’ve just had enough of them saying they’re cutting emissions when a committee of MPs have found they don’t even have a plan on how to do it! It’s beyond belief.”
He went on to say that Boris Johnson has revealed a ten point plan for a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, which includes measures like increasing offshore wind power, accelerating the shift to zero-emission vehicles and investing in carbon capture. The ten-point plan aims to mobilise £12 billion of government investment.
However, campaigners believe this won’t be enough, especially while the government continues to support fossil fuels by allowing the opening of a new coal mine in Cumbria, as well as supporting the tree burning at Drax power station in North Yorkshire, Britain’s biggest single source of carbon emissions, which has received over £1 billion in subsidies over the past two years.
The government has also committed £27 billion to new roads, which studies have proven cause more traffic and continue to allow the expansion of various airports including Leeds-Bradford airport which has recently been granted permission to almost double in size.
“There’s so much talk about green policies now, and people want things to be done, but the action we’re seeing will only increase emissions, not reduce them,” added Sheeky. “The future of everything and everyone we love is at stake, we can’t afford to not do this, and if it takes doing things like this to get some action, then I’ll keep on doing it.”
Sheeky was also one of a number of Extinction Rebellion members who blocked the distribution of certain newspapers in September last year. For that he has been charged with Obstruction of the Highway and his trial is scheduled to take place in May.
Meanwhile, following yesterday’s incident, Sheeky was charged with criminal damage and appears in Warrington Magistrates Court on 31st March.
In response to the graffiti attack, Mr Carter said: “My constituency office was attacked by a far-left extinction rebellion protestor who thought it would do the climate change cause good to daub paint on the windows, leaving the team who work in this office concerned for their own safety.
“It’s completely unacceptable for groups such as XR to hide behind the guise of protest while committing criminal acts that cause damage and intimidation. This is a workplace and nobody should feel worried for their safety when simply doing their job.
“Ironically the United Kingdom is already doing more to tackle climate change and decarbonise our economy than almost any other nation on earth. The UK is the first major economy to legislate to end our contribution to climate change by 2050.
“It would be far more productive if, rather than damaging property, those behind Extinction Rebellion put their efforts into working with the Government to build the green economy as we recover from a global pandemic. I’ve had lots of messages this afternoon saying the Government must not stand by and allow a minority using the pretence of tackling climate change to impose their extremist worldview.
“I’m hugely grateful to the local residents who turned up to help clean the graffiti away, their kind support is much appreciated.”
