German climate activist Marcus Decker has launched a legal challenge against his deportation from the UK after serving one of the longest sentences in British history for a peaceful protest.
Decker, 36, was jailed for two years and seven months after climbing the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartford Crossing in October 2022, where he and fellow protester Morgan Trowland displayed a Just Stop Oil banner to call attention to the climate emergency.
After serving 16 months, Decker was released from prison in February 2024.
While still incarcerated, he received notice from the Home Office that he faced automatic deportation as a foreign national offender. His appeal against that decision began on Monday at a tribunal in central London, backed by a broad coalition of public figures, climate experts, and human rights advocates.
“This is a crazy double punishment,” Decker said. “I would be the first person in this country to be deported for peaceful protest. I’ve built my life here with my partner Holly and her two children—we’ve lived together for years.”
Decker remains under strict monitoring conditions, including an ankle tag and biweekly reporting to immigration authorities.
He expressed regret for the disruption caused by the bridge protest but argued that the action must be viewed within the context of a worsening global climate crisis.
Decker’s deportation case has drawn international attention. UN special rapporteur Michel Forst sent a 10-page letter to the UK government urging leniency, while 22 Nobel laureates, actor Juliet Stevenson, and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams also voiced support.
Former Labour minister Lord Peter Hain described deportation as unnecessarily punitive.
Supporters say deporting Decker would set a dangerous precedent for environmental activism in Britain. The tribunal’s decision is expected in the coming weeks.
