All charges against 15 people accused of ‘going equipped to lock on’ at a Drax protest have been thrown out on the second day of the scheduled two week trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court for lack of evidence. Drax 15: thrown outAll of the Drax 15 were pre-emptively arrested in a £3 million policing operation in August last year that involved 1,070 police officers from 39 of Britain’s 44 forces, as well as the seizing of accessible toilets, wheelchair trackway and tents. The pre-emptive arrests form part of a broader pattern of the Starmer regime’s ever-increasing attacks on the right to protest in Britain. Whilst it is of course a welcome decision the question remains why was this absurd case ever taken this far. Fellow Drax 15 defendant Laurie condemned the process against them as a ‘farce’:The dismissal of our case today confirms without a doubt that this prosecution has been a farce.