Cambridge XR academic brags after prosecution dropped

Since being formed in May 2018, the eco-warriors of Extinction Rebellion have done their best to endear themselves to commuters across the country. Known for their outlandish stunts, apocalyptic rhetoric and garish attire, members of the movement have deployed new forms of non-violent civi disobedience – much to the irritation of those whose roads and bridges they blockade.

One such member is Jason Scott-Warren, a lecturer in English literature at the University of Cambridge. The academic tweeted on Monday that he was due to appear in court for a one man protest in May in which he repeatedly obstructed the highway wearing a sandwich board. The summons prompted him to declare ‘I was hoping that the court might burn down before this date arrived. Instead I’ll have to somehow carry the fires with me.’

He need not have worried however; the case was dropped yesterday, much to the academic’s delight. He wrote online: ‘Case dropped, anti-⁦@ExtinctionR⁩ prosecutions crumbling, HRA [Human Rights Act] rights to protest alive and well.’