Actor James Cromwell has been sentenced to seven days in jail after he refused to pay a fine related to his role in an environmental protest. The 77-year-old, known for his starring roles in Babe, The Green Mile and L.A Confidential, was one of six protestors who staged a sit-in at a power plant in November 2015. During their trial, the protestors claimed that their actions were justified because the power plant would cause irreversible damage to the local environment, and was further accelerating climate change. But they were ultimately found guilty of obstructing traffic, and were each fined $250, plus a $125 surcharge. James, along with two others, refused to pay, and will now spend a week in an Orange County jail.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesJames Cromwell has been sentenced to a week in jail
In a statement seen by E! News, James – who has been an activist for several decades – said: "A poisonous, misguided energy policy, driven by a rapacious, deceitful industry, and abetted by corrupt, self-serving political leadership is condemning all sentient life on this planet to a gruesome extinction.
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"To remain silent in the face of such a cataclysm is to be culpable and complicit. The extraction of fossil fuels has become, in this compromised environment, a crime against humanity," he continued. "Anyone with a sense of outrage is compelled to resist. Any law that facilitates and justifies such a crime by stifling dissent is unjust. History will vindicate our struggle and excoriate the perpetrators. That is, if there is a history." James is set to begin his sentence on 14 July.
