The Lady (and Man) Doth Protest Too Much?

George Monbiot opines that 'draconian' law changes now prevent UK folk from effectively protesting against any measure that accelerates climate change. He points out that the disturbance generated by blocking a road (or merely planning to do so), pales into insignificance, compared to the known impact of extreme weather events on transport (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/19/protest-democracy-labour-tories-laws). Rampant overcrowding is forcing the early release of UK prisoners. In spite of this, 5 Just Stop Oil protesters have each been sentenced to between 4 and 5 years in prison. They held a 'zoom' meeting, with the aim of organising a blockade of London's M25 motorway. As is now traditional, the defendents were not allowed, in court, to give any reasoning for their actions. Folk with banners outside the court, urging jury members to follow their conscience, were also arrested (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/18/five-just-stop-oil-supporters-jailed-over-protest-that-blocked-m25 ). This seems in marked contrast to balaclavaed folk vandalising traffic cameras put in place to maintain London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). ULEZ was extended, to reduce health-damaging air pollution in the capital. These 'Blade Runners' seem to have been treated like heroes by sections of the media. None have received a long jail sentence. Friends of the Earth note that circa 6 million UK folk are currently endangered by extreme heat events (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jul/19/six-million-people-at-risk-extreme-heat-in-england-campaign-group-warns). Do they also protest too much?