A Crowdfunder has been launched to support Michael Dunk, a jailed Somerset councillor and former Green Party representative for Frome West, who was sentenced to 26 months in prison following a high-profile protest.
Mr. Dunk, affectionately known as Mick, was one of two Green Party councillors elected in May 2022. He became widely recognized after participating in a demonstration on November 8, 2022, where Just Stop Oil activists, including Dunk, climbed gantries on the M25 motorway to protest against new fossil fuel projects.
Following his sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on December 5, Dunk will spend Christmas in prison and has been ordered to pay £4,380 in legal costs.
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An online Crowdfunder initiative, organized by Robin Logie, chairman of the Frome Area Green Party, aims to cover these costs and assist other jailed protesters. As of December 8, the fundraiser has amassed £5,242, surpassing its initial target and allowing for potential support for ongoing legal expenses.
Several Somerset councillors have donated to the Crowdfunder in a personal capacity, underscoring the close-knit support within local political circles. Somerset Council leader Bill Revans contributed £100, explicitly stating that his donation does not reflect official council stance or condone Dunk’s actions but rather supports his legal appeal. “I disagree with the excessive sentence handed out,” Revans affirmed.
Other councillors, such as Theo Butt Philip and Adam Boyden (both Liberal Democrats), also backed the fundraiser with personal donations, expressing views that the sentence was unduly harsh. Boyden highlighted the irony that many of the campaign goals espoused by Dunk have since become government policy. Fellow Green councillors Martin Dimery, Dave Mansell, and Shane Collins contributed smaller sums, sharing personal sentiments of friendship and respect. Liberal Democrat councillors Steve Ashton and Richard Wilkins similarly donated, with Wilkins noting, “Whilst I don’t support your actions, I feel this sentence is unnecessary.”
Even former Mendip District Council Green councillor Michael Gay showed his support, describing Dunk as “a decent honest man.”
Conversely, Sir Ashley Fox, Conservative MP for Bridgwater, welcomed the sentencing and criticized the councillors’ support for the Crowdfunder, albeit given in personal capacities. He described the behaviour as “concerning” and stressed that while he defends the right to peaceful protest, deliberately disrupting major roads causing inconvenience to public events and emergencies “is not lawful and never should be.”
Fox also challenged the effectiveness of the protests on a global scale, pointing out the UK’s significant CO2 emission reductions since 1990 and suggesting that activists should focus efforts on countries still heavily reliant on coal power.
The Crowdfunder’s full list of donors and their statements is publicly available online, reflecting a community divided between support for activism and concerns over rule of law.