by Holly Cullen-Davies

My partner Marcus Decker is being threatened with deportation - because he joined a peaceful protest against the government's inaction on the climate crisis. Please help us and sign this petition calling on the Home Office to stop his deportation.

Marcus and I fell in love 3 years ago. We were brought together by our joint passion for music and for protecting our planet. He became a wonderful stepfather to my two children.

Marcus is a passionate singer and climate activist. We both know how urgent the climate crisis has become and do everything we can to stop it from getting worse. When Marcus turns up at a protest and starts to sing the whole mood of the crowd can change. From one moment to another, people can listen to him in sombre silence or join him in energised chants. He is an inspiring teacher and a beloved supporter of grassroots communities. He lives the most modest life possible so he can dedicate all his time and energy to helping others.

But despite all our protests and the climate emergency getting worse and worse with every day, the government is still investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure. So Marcus made the decision to step up his protest. Last October, he scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge together with Morgan Trowland, creating a public debate about the government's continued investment in new oil.

As a result of their protest, Marcus was sentenced to 2 years and 7 months in prison. It isn't easy for Marcus in prison and it is desperately sad for my family. We miss him every day. The prison banned Marcus from speaking to the media making it even more difficult for him to speak about the reasons for his protest.

But as if such a high prison sentence was not bad enough, Marcus, a German citizen, is now being threatened with deportation.

This double punishment is devastating for us. If deported, he would be separated from us, his family, his home, community and adopted country. Marcus has already been separated from us for 7 months and now he might never come home again.

Marcus put his own liberty and body on the line for those suffering from the climate crisis. But he is more than just an activist - anyone that knows Marcus knows he is a gentle, thoughtful and compassionate human being who would only act proportionately to the crisis we all face. This is the man that I love. A man who sang my children to sleep at night.

Every day could now be the day that the dreaded letter from the Home Office arrives. Marcus will then have 20 days to appeal the deportation decision.

It is not too late to stop his deportation. Chris Packham has already called for Marcus to be released. If enough people tell the Home Office that no one should ever be deported for peaceful protest, we still stand a chance.

This moment will affect the rest of Marcus' life. Please help us make it a life spent together with his family and his community.

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Please can you help Marcus Decker and his friends, family and community?

The home office is threatening to depart Marcus Decker when he comes out of prison. This is a landmark case as Marcus would be the first climate protestor to be deported from the UK.

If you are any type of artist or performer and you are worried about the climate crisis then I urge you to consider signing and sharing this letter against the deportation of musician and activist Marcus Decker. It only takes a minute -

Artist Letter to Home Office

The Home Office

Lunar House

40 Wellesley Road

Croydon CR9 2BY

January 2024

Dear Home Secretary James Cleverly,

We are professional artists, musicians, performers and actors writing to you to ask that you reconsider the harsh deportation order imposed upon Marcus Decker by the Home Office. We believe that punishing him with deportation in addition to the 14 months he has already spent in prison is out of proportion to the crime committed and unconducive to the public good.

In October 2022, Marcus climbed the Queen Elizabeth II bridge together with another protester to drop a banner and warn the public about the dangers of fossil fuel extraction. Marcus is an experienced climber and took all necessary precautions not to put himself or anybody else in danger. No one was harmed and the protest lasted less than two days. Consider that just in January of this year, police closed both the Dartford Crossing and the Dartford Tunnel due to dangerous weather conditions, causing substantial disruption. Such extreme weather will only become increasingly frequent with escalating climate change. It was to prevent horrific disruption and suffering that Marcus took part in this action.

Marcus is a musician. In prison, he has started a choir for other prisoners and plays the piano and organ for church services. When he was still free, he played concerts and made educational podcasts for children. He helped to support the two children of his British long-term partner, a classical pianist. People know him as a kind, caring, and compassionate person who is an integral part of his local community. That is why over 150,000 people have already signed the petition against his deportation. We need gifted musicians and kind-hearted people like Marcus in this country.

We are law-abiding citizens and, of course, accept that we should all abide by the law. However, we urge you to consider what it would look like to the rest of the world if the UK which prides itself in leading on climate action were to start deporting human rights defenders like Marcus, as shown by the letter on this topic written by Ian Fry, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change.

We urge you to reconsider Marcus’s deportation.

Yours sincerely,

CLICK HERE TO SIGN