Court Sides with Greenpeace

Last year, six Greenpeace activists attempted to shut down a coal-fired power plant in Britain by climbing the chimney and painting the Prime Minister's name down the side. The defendants pleaded not guilty and focused their defense on 'lawful excuse' (we have the 'necessity defense' in the U.S.), which excuses those who break the law when it serves a necessary greater good. The jury recently accepted the defendants claim that they shut down the plant in order to defend from the global impact of climate change and they have been acquitted of all charges.