Activists convicted after disrupting UCI World Cycling Championships

Activists who brought the UCI Cycling World Championships to a halt by glueing themselves to the road route have been convicted.

The four This Is Rigged protesters appeared at Falkirk Sheriff Court accused of disrupting the first-of-its-kind global event hosted in Scotland in the Carron Valley in Stirlingshire on Sunday, August 5.

Catriona Roberts, 21, Ben Taylor, 29, Romane Moulin, 26, and Rebecca Kerr, 28, were accused of breach of the peace in the incident near the Carronbridge Hotel, Denny.

After a trial, Taylor, of Kilbirnie in Ayrshire was fined £250 and the other three were admonished by the judge sheriff McCulloch.

They group were said to have conducted themselves in a disorderly manner, sat on the road, the B818 then part of the route of a race in the UCI International Cycling World Championships, glued themselves to the tarmac, set off powder canons, blocked the race route, chained themselves together, refused to leave when requested, and caused the race to be halted.

Taylor, along with Roberts, of Edinburgh; and Moulin and Kerr, both Glasgow, had pled not guilty to the single charge against them.

Kerr was represented by Aamer Anwar and Co, whilst Taylor, Roberts and Moulin self-represented.

At the time of the protest, a spokesperson for the group claimed that “this isn’t about cycling” but that they were “forced to act” due to government inaction on the climate crisis”.