Sue Parfitt

Sue Parfitt (b. 1941 or 1942) is a member of Christian Climate Action (CCA) who engages in civil disobedience to draw attention to climate change. One of the first women ordained in the Anglican church in 1994, she has since retired. For her activism, she has been arrested at least 24 times. Her actions include disrupting London rail service by sitting on top of a train and damaging the glass protecting the Magna Carta. She has also been arrested several times for expressing support for Palestine Action, a direct action group designated as a terrorist organisation by the British parliament.

Career Parfitt grew up in south Wales in a conservative Christian family. After studying history at Bristol University, she became a nun in the Community of the Holy Name. After completing seminary at Ripon College in the 1980s, she married an Anglican priest who lived in Bristol. In 2013, her husband died. She was charged with and later found guilty of violating a police order banning protests. Parfitt stated that she would continue to protest. According to the activists, they had taken several precautions to minimize harm to the public including targeting an above-ground train. and later acquitted by a jury in 2022. Parfitt and Bruce were arrested again the following year for a Just Stop Oil protest in the British Library. They damaged the glass protecting the Magna Carta, glued themselves to the display case, and held a banner that said "The government is breaking the law." They were charged with criminal damage. Parfitt stated that she would not have participated in the protest if there was a possibility of damaging the document.

After Palestine Action caused 7 million GBP of damage to Royal Air Force planes, the British Parliament designated the direct action group as a terrorist organisation in July 2025. Later that month, Parfitt was arrested for sitting in a chair in London's Parliament Square with a sign that said: "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action." She criticised her arrest as an infringement of her civil rights. The following July, she made a speech on top of a box that said "I oppose genocide" at a protest near Scotland Yard. She stated her support for Palestine Action and was arrested again.

Views on activism Parfitt has stated that her activism is motivated by her religious duty to protect the earth and other people. She has expressed frustration with the limited impact of traditional activism. She has stated that: "The point is to make the best use of your latter years. And what could be a better use than trying to save humanity from extinction?" Additionally, she has stated that "The early Church was breaking the law all the time. So was Jesus."

Books Parfitt, Sue (2023-08-24). Bodies on the Line: Christians, Civil Resistance and the Climate Crisis. LAB/ORA Press. .