“I don’t regret my actions.”
Those were the words of climate activist Henry Owen (pictured above spilling fake oil outside the Lloyd’s headquarters in London on October 29) outside Westminster Magistrates Court on November 15 – the day he pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal damage in relation to the ‘oil spill’ protest orchestrated by Insurance Rebellion.
The latter is the same campaign group behind previous actions targeting the iconic inside-out Lloyd’s building on Lime Street. According to Insurance Rebellion, Owen is the first individual to be prosecuted for climate protests outside Lloyd’s.
Owen is seen below being arrested last month. He was held at the Bishopsgate police station, and yesterday was sentenced to an 18-month conditional discharge and £660 fine for damages.
“At this point in history,” stated Owen, “it is a lack of action that will lead us to regret and destruction. Governments are failing to regulate the finance sector, Lloyd’s of London is failing to regulate its marketplace, and in response syndicates are profiteering from climate breakdown.
“Now is the time for real action, not words. Lloyd’s of London needs to stop insuring fossil fuel projects today. That would be real action.”
The protestor added: “With world leaders at COP26 (26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties) admitting much more progress is needed to tackle climate change, Lloyd’s of London have the opportunity to be climate leaders by ruling out insuring fossil fuel projects immediately.
“Unfortunately, despite their claim to be about ‘sharing risk’, by continuing to support insuring fossil fuel infrastructure in their marketplace, they are actually risking the lives of millions of people already facing the impacts of climate breakdown.”
Meanwhile, according to Owen’s camp, he turned down an offer to become a police informer.
