The justice system is doing its best to deter activism by jailing peaceful protesters, and those spared from prison often get handed hefty cost orders.

With your support, CASP can step in to relieve these financial pressures. Over the past two years, CASP has, on average, paid £6,225 per month on direct financial support for activists facing hardship. This has included covering the monthly payment plans set up by court, or contributing to bills for those in prison who are left unable to make any income.

Below we hear from two activists who have benefitted from CASP’s assistance fund, highlighting the difference your monthly donation makes.

Ana, 62

“I started taking action when I was 14yrs old, & I’m 62 now! After repeatedly blocking roads with Insulate Britain, I eventually broke an injunction taken out against us, which sent me to prison for 3 months & ordered to pay £5500 in costs & fines. I was also convicted in 8 or 9 cases of Wilful Obstruction of the Highway for which I’ve just completed paying over £1000 of costs & fines.

I made a deal to pay injunction costs & fines at £5/month for the next 184 years (nonsense, eh?), which CASP reimburse me for. CASP have also paid off a total of approx. £750 in fines for action with Insulate Britain. I would have had to have paid all of this out of my disability benefits without financial support, which leads me to thinking that I would not take any action, or indeed DO anything, if I let the financial losses constrain me.

I take action, not altruistically, or thinking I’m going to change anything. It is the only way I know to indicate this is not in my name. I act because I want our human rights demonstrated to us in a better way. I want children to have a beautiful future, not to be bombed or starved into dust under the rubble of polluted minds.

Because of the support I am resilient, resourced & enabled to expand into more & more active roles, & am excited to. Without it, my radical trust ethic would be compromised, & I wouldn’t have the security or confidence to take actions. Without it, all my freedom of expression would be curtailed, because I would struggle financially to achieve what I do at the same level. So yes, the support allows me to take action, & I wouldn’t do what I do without it.”

Activism is expensive. It can be one of the biggest hurdles to taking action.

Just Stop Oil slow marcher, 22

“I took action with Just Stop Oil when I was 20 years old, in my second year at university. After years of feeling hopeless and completely lost in climate anxiety, taking non-violent direct action for the climate felt like an opportunity to finally take the power into our hands.

The action I took was a slow march in November 2023, in London, to interrupt business as usual and put pressure on a state intent on causing mass destruction. I was very nervous, and in the end, I was only on the road for a couple of minutes before being arrested for Wilful Obstruction of the Highway. Since the time on the road was so short, several people arrested with me had their cases dropped due to lack of evidence of disruption.

I was convicted of Wilful Obstruction in February 2024, and was ordered to pay a total of £670 in court charges and fines. As a student living on a very tight budget, with limited time to commit to work, I was extremely concerned about how I would pay the fees. I was able to arrange a payment plan so that I would pay £30 per month. Although this made it easier, this was still a reasonable impact on my limited budget, and also meant that I was committed to paying for around 2 years.

I decided to reach out to CASP to see if they could subsidise some of the total or offer any other support. They got back to me in only a few hours, offering to pay the full £30 every month. It felt like a massive weight off my shoulders. I had been suffering from a lot of anxiety post-action, and knowing that I would no longer need to worry about the financial impact made looking after my emotional wellbeing enormously easier. It made me feel protected by our community and reminded me of the value of the action I’d taken.

Having support from CASP allowed me to continue my activism into Youth Demand, a campaign for Palestine and the climate.”