MRS JUSTICE HILL Approved Judgment
Valero v Persons Unknown (2025 review)
Mrs Justice Hill DBE: Introduction 1.
The Claimants are three companies who are part of a large petrochemical group called the Valero Group. They own or have a right to possession of a series of sites in England and Wales which include oil refineries and terminals, defined for the purposes of this litigation as the “8 Sites”. 2. The Defendants are Persons Unknown connected with Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Youth Climate Swarm (defined as the “4 Organisations”) who (i) trespass or stay on the 8 Sites; (ii) block access to the 8 Sites or otherwise interfere with the access to the sites by the Claimants, their servants, agents, licensees or invitees; and (iii) who have been involved in suspected tortious behaviour or whom the Claimants fear will be involved in tortious behaviour at the 8 Sites and the relevant access roads. 3. On 26 January 2024, Ritchie J granted the Claimants a final injunction against the Defendants to last 5 years, for the detailed reasons he gave in Valero Energy Ltd v Persons Unknown [2024] EWHC 134. 4. Ritchie J’s order, amended under the slip rule on 5 February 2024, made provision for the injunction to be reviewed once a year, no later than the anniversary of the 26 January 2024 order, or as close to that date as was convenient to the court. 5. By an application notice dated 21 November 2024, the Claimants sought a review hearing. The application was argued by the Claimants’ counsel at a hearing before me on 24 January 2025. None of the Defendants attended or were represented at the hearing. The factual background 6. Ritchie J set out the factual background in detail in his judgment at [1]-[45]. 7. In summary, between 1 and 7 April 2022 a number of environmental activists undertook direct action at the Kingsbury Terminal (one of the 8 Sites: see Ritchie J’s judgment at [4]) and on the adjoining access roads. This led to approximately 48 individuals being arrested by the Warwickshire Police at and around that site. Further protest activity took place at and around the Kingsbury Terminal between 9 and 15 April 2022, leading to around 38 arrests. 8. This conduct was part of a nationwide campaign. Similar direct action occurred at a number of other oil terminals and refineries as well as associated sites. These actions were combined with statements demonstrating a commitment to disrupt indefinitely the oil industry until the Defendants’ demands were met. 9. As a result, injunctions were granted to a number of other entities involved in the energy industry. Since these injunctions have been granted, the direct action has largely ceased. Instead, environmental activists have turned their attention to other related targets which are not protected by injunctions.
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