Can property damage ever be an act of care? Dr Patrick Hart demonstrates courage and compassion facing down Exxon Mobil.
Dr Patrick Hart closing statement at Chelmsford Crown court, 29-10-24
“I hope it has been clear to you that I have been allowed no defence in law. You might wonder why I chose to plead not guilty?
The reason is that to do so would have been dishonest. I do not feel guilty for what I did. I believed then, and I believe now that it was the right thing to do. It was the carefully considered action of a responsible citizen. My only defence, however, is a moral one, not a legal one. I did what I did as an act of conscience.
I want to begin with a quote from Dr Martin Luther King:
“Cowardice asks the question; ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question; ‘Is it politic?’ Vanity asks the question; ‘Is it popular?’ But conscience asks the question; ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a time when you must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but you must take it because conscience tells you that it is right.”
My whole life I have tried to be a caring person. I became a doctor because I wanted to be there for people when they needed it most. I went to work overseas because I decided everyone deserves care, not just those lucky enough to be born in a rich country. I worked my absolute socks off to provide care to those people and then when I got home, I worked my socks off to offer care to people in my local community.
It is for the same reason that I became a climate protestor.
I disrupted people as an act of care. I damaged the petrol pump screens as an act of care. Because in times of great peril, a caring person has to stand up for what is right. My actions have already cost me greatly. I have been handed a suspended prison sentence, and thousands of pounds in costs through a civil injunction for this exact same action. I have been penalised at work and stand to be suspended or lose my licence to practise as a doctor. But I regret nothing. Because to not do it, would have been to give up on caring, and that would be worse. In the face of the permanent collapse of our climate, our economy, our society and life on Earth, the only thing that keeps me going is our continued capacity as people to care, regardless of what happens. Yes, I fear prison, but I am ready to go if I must.
Members of the jury do not make the mistake of thinking you have no choice in this. Any jury in the UK has an absolute right to acquit any defendant it wishes. Indeed, in identical cases some defendants have been found guilty, others not guilty, depending on the conscience of the jury on the day. If you wish to find me guilty, so be it, but in doing so you are making a choice. If that is your choice, then I reassure you that I had already made my peace with this, before I picked up the hammer and chisel. I am proud that I have tried my best to make a difference, when I had the chance.
I want to finish with one more quote by George Bernard Shaw:
“I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.”
Dr Patrick Hart was found guilty of criminal damage on the 29th October, 2024 at Chelmsford Crown Court. He will be sentenced on the 21st November, 2024. Please email contact@healthforxr.com or follow @doctorsxr on Twitter for updates.
Additional information:
More from Dr Patrick Hart
Tipping Point Podcast, episode 18: Doctors Shauna Golden and Patrick Hart on public health, the climate crisis and activism: https://granthaminstitute.podbean.com/e/18-doctors-shauna-goldman-and-patrick-heart-on-public-health-the-climate-crisis-and-activism/
Growing Global Support for Health Professionals involved in Peaceful Protest
The Doctor Magazine, 2024: 2,000-signature petition calls for GMC to reverse suspensions of climate activist doctors: https://thedoctor.bma.org.uk/articles/health-society/2-000-signature-petition-calls-for-gmc-to-reverse-suspensions-of-climate-activist-doctors/
Afterwords Podcast: The Nonviolent Struggle for Our Planet’s Future with Lynne Jones (Child Consultant working with WHO and Unicef) & Fiona Godlee (former editor of the BMJ): https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/afterwords/id1499818185?i=1000674960684
Sorry for the Inconvenience but this is an emergency by Dr Lynne Jones: https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/sorry-for-the-inconvenience-but-this-is-an-emergency/
This week in Climate and Health
The Guardian, 30-10-24: Record levels of heat-related deaths in 2023 due to climate crisis, report finds: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/30/record-levels-of-heat-related-deaths-in-2023-due-to-climate-crisis-report-finds
The Lancet Countdown report, 2024: The 2024 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: facing record-breaking threats from delayed action: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01822-1/abstract
WHO News, 2024: The Lancet urges divestment from fossil fuels to save lives: https://www.who.int/news/item/30-10-2024-the-lancet-urges-divestment-from-fossil-fuels-to-save-lives
Do our Courts Enable Exxon Mobil?
The BBC, 2022: Big Oil v the World: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0cgqlv1
ExxonKnews: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0cgqlv1
Drilled podcast, season 8, episode 1: The Boom: https://drilled.media/podcasts/drilled/8/drilleds08-ep01
Heated, 2024: Big Oil knew monster storms were coming. We have the receipts: https://heated.world/p/big-oil-knew-monster-storms-were