Multiple human rights experts expressed concern on Thursday against measures Europe has used to silence climate activists. including mass arrests, long sentences and new laws that restrict the right to protest.
Many countries in Europe, such as Germany, France and Italy, have issued multiple crackdowns on protest groups, including giving the police more powers to control large-scale protests and mass disruption. Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic stated that public authorities do not have “unlimited discretion” to exercise force and restrictions should be prescribed by law and not undermine the rights of protesters. Similarly, AmnestyUK and MP Alison Thewliss have stated that the government is essentially undermining human rights by adhering to these measures.
The UK has taken the most strict measures when dealing with climate activists. The Public Order Act 2023 has been said to limit the right to protest and criminalised many more acts of protest, such as “interfering with national infrastructure” such as airports and HS2. The government named the disruption from groups such as XR, JustStopOil and Insulate Britain as justifications for introducing this legislation. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk stated that the Act “weakens human rights obligations” because it is restrictive on individual rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association – this is incompatible with the UK’s international human rights obligations. With this legislation, the threshold of disruption is a lot lower than previous legislation. This means that protesters are more likely to be committing an offence and risk getting arrested when protesting.
The UK has also been imposing long sentences on activists/protesters. Marcus Decker and Morgan Trowland (members of JustStopOil) were arrested after climbing the QEII Bridge at the Dartford Crossing, causing disruption to thousands of drivers on the M25. Both were charged with causing public nuisance and sentenced to 2-3 years each. Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur, stated that there is an “urgent need” to protect environmental defenders from threats, intimidation and reprisals. He cited The Strasbourg Principles, which reinforces individuals’ rights to participate in defending the environment.
