CLIMATE change activists gathered outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court today to stand in solidarity with defendants facing trial for criminal damage.

The four defendants from the environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion (XR) have been accused of chalk spraying the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) building during a protest on November 14.

The demo was in demand of government action on deteriorating soil quality due to the use of chemicals that have been putting food safety at risk.

XR’s Terry Matthews said: “When ordinary people feel they have to take action like this to get their voices heard and are charged with criminal damage, the real criminals are those creating the current situation by failing to come up with policies and to divest in the fossil fuel industry.”

One of the defendants, Laura Hughes, told the Star that a reason for her “crossing the line” was to start a conversation about the “criminal negligence” of the issue.

“I had to take immediate action to get it into the media. The public need to know the truth and yet authorities are greenwashing the problem,” she said.

Ms Hughes was also arrested weeks later while protesting against the HS2 water contamination risk by locking herself onto a bulldozer.

The mother of three said the importance and impact of her first action “empowered” her to do the next one.

The case has been adjourned until Friday when the defendants will be joined by similar XR cases.