Penrith resident and local campaigner Jeff Thomson has been shortlisted for the 'The Green Gag Award' at this year's European SLAPP Contest. The winners will be announced tonight, highlighting the damaging impact of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) across European society, including on local whistleblowers and environmental campaigners speaking out against powerful organisations.
Thomson first received a legal threat in February 2023 after launching a resident-led Facebook campaign, 'Fresh Air for Penrith', to share information with fellow locals about persistent foul odour called the Penrith 'pong', allegedly linked to the Omega Proteins rendering plant operated by Yorkshire-based Leo Group Ltd. The industrial-scale plant is on the west side of the town, backdropped by the Lake District National Park. Thomson has been threatened with legal action for defamation and harassment based on posts made on the Facebook page. Three years after the first letter, Thomson is still fighting the costly legal action.
Thomson joins other finalists from across Europe, including environmental campaigners from Italy, whose work to hold powerful actors accountable has similarly faced legal intimidation. These threats are often financially crippling to fight and take a serious emotional toll on victims. His short listing at the European Anti-SLAPP Contest, hosted by The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE), underscores the real-world consequences of abusive legal threats on ordinary members of the public and the lack of legal protections for targets.
Jeff Thomson, founder of 'Fresh Air for Penrith', said: "No one should be targeted for speaking out in the public interest to help their neighbours and wider community. There needs to be greater awareness of the tactics used by big organisations to silence those who speak out. Being on the receiving end of abusive legal threats can make you forget that there are many others across the UK and internationally going through the same experience. Their chilling effect means so many cases never reach public light, but the European SLAPP Contest is an important reminder of how widespread this issue is and the impact it can have on people's lives."
Nik Williams, co-chair of The UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, said: "The different categories highlighted in this year's European SLAPP Contest reflect the wide-ranging impact of SLAPPs. Far from being a niche media issue impacting only journalists, the cases nominated show that anyone can be touched by abusive legal threats. The UK is a particular hotspot for SLAPPs, and the Government must do more to protect those holding powerful actors to account, including environmental and local campaigners like Jeff. Robust and universal anti-SLAPP legislation is urgently needed".
A spokesperson for the Leo Group said “Over the years Mr Thomson has made various baseless defamatory comments via his posts on Facebook and he has complained to various authorities in England and Wales against Leo Group. However, Leo Group has not in anyway acted contrary to any Anti-SLAPP legislation.
As there are ongoing legal proceedings, we cannot comment any further in relation to matters before the Court, as such in relation to the assertions of Mr Thompson."
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