Free Daniel Shaw
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Who is Daniel?
Daniel is a caring, gentle individual who volunteers at Umbrella, as well as arranging the planting and maintaining of 1,600 daffodils on the N’pton Racecourse every year.
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Why is Daniel in Prison?
Daniel was sentenced to four years in prison for involvement in a peaceful protest - a grotesque sentence for a peaceful man in a democracy.
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Why is this unjust?
United Nations Special Rapporteur Michel Forst has stated that Daniel was “Denied the right to a fair trial” after clear bias from the judge in the court.
What did daniel do?
Daniel, or “Daffodil Daniel” as he’s often known, was sentenced to four years in prison - a grotesque sentence for a peaceful man who is simply exercising his democratic rights.
Daniel’s involvement in the peaceful protest amounted to chairing a zoom call where peaceful protest was discussed. The protest was expected to cause traffic congestion on the M25, the UK’s already most congested road. His reason for involvement was to highlight the desperate need to take action on the climate crisis.
Daniel did not take part in any part of the protest where any traffic congestion was caused, nor did he cause or intend to cause any damage or harm to any person or property. He was charged with a new “conspiracy” law that was brought in by the previous government in order to criminalise peaceful activists.
During Daniel’s trial, United Nations Special Rapporteur Michel Forst said in an official statement that Daniel was “Denied the right to a fair trial” after the judge did not permit all the necessary evidence to be presented to the jury or for the defendants to explain their reasons for any involvement.
Daniel is our friend, a member of our community, a lifelong Northampton resident and a person who has had his freedom taken from him unfairly.
Before Daniel’s involvement in activism, he had never been arrested and held zero criminal convictions. He had worked in social care for over ten years, helping local people in need.
We’re launching a campaign to recognise the injustice and to call for his freedom, as well as to explain what has driven Daniel to take part in peaceful activism in the first place.
The climate crisis poses a genuine threat to the lives of humanity and a million species. A Climate Emergency was declared by UK Parliament in 2019 and the entire global scientific community accepts that humans have created this crisis through industrial activity, predominantly through the burning of fossil fuels.
At Umbrella CEAH, we stand with Daniel in his dedication to highlight the importance of taking action on the climate crisis.