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Andrew Feinberg
White House Correspondent
Rich democracies such as the UK and the US are increasingly applying harsh and sweeping criminal laws to climate change protesters, at odds with their global stance on human rights, a new report has found.
The report, released on Monday by Climate Rights International, documents the intensifying repression faced by climate activists in Australia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK and the US.
These countries are violating their legal obligations to protect the freedoms of expression, assembly and association, the report says, and while these democracies claim to uphold human rights internationally, their domestic policies increasingly target peaceful climate activism.
“You don’t have to agree with the tactics of climate activists to understand the importance of protecting the right to protest and free speech,” said Brad Adams, executive director of Climate Rights International.
“Instead of jailing climate protesters and infringing on their civil liberties, governments should heed their calls to take urgent action to address the climate crisis.”
The UK, for example, has handed down unprecedented prison sentences to nonviolent protesters such as Just Stop Oil founder Roger Hallam, who was recently sentenced to five years for blocking a motorway.
There were similar protests in Germany. 22 months imprisonment For participating in a sit-in blockade.
In Australia, blocking a bridge is punishable by up to two years in prison, and Deanna “Violet” Coco received heavy punishment under this provision.
Arrests have been made in the Netherlands even before the protests began, and in the United States activists such as Joanna Smith face heavy fines and up to five years in prison for defacing a Degas exhibit at the Rijksmuseum.
The report criticizes these punitive measures as being in clear contradiction to the democratic values espoused by these countries.
“July 2024 marked the 14th consecutive month of heatwaves on record, highlighting the urgency of climate action,” Adams said.
“Instead of focusing on curbing climate change measures, governments should be directly addressing the climate crisis.”
The report notes that these countries are increasingly banning discussion of the motives behind protests, undermining the right to a fair trial. In the UK, for example, climate change protesters are barred from explaining their motives in court.
The proposal calls for protecting the right to peaceful protest, implementing measures to support safe and responsible protest, repealing or reforming laws that target peaceful protesters, and allowing climate motives to be taken into account in legal proceedings.
“Governments should see climate activists not as criminals, but as allies in the fight against climate change,” Adams said.
“Cracking down on peaceful protests not only violates fundamental human rights, but also encourages repressive governments to target climate and human rights defenders around the world.”
The issue of harsh sentences for climate change protesters has elicited mixed reactions from the public.
Just Stop Oil has faced widespread criticism in recent months for its involvement in protests at Stonehenge and Stansted Airport, as well as cutting through security fences to gain access to an airfield where Taylor Swift’s private jet is reportedly parked.
A UK court recently heard the case of five “Stop the Oil” activists who allegedly climbed a gantry on a highway in November 2022, forcing police to stop traffic and causing a traffic jam.
In a July ruling, Judge Christopher Hehir said the protesters had “crossed the line from concerned activists to fanatics” and sentenced one to five years in prison and the other two to four years each.
In a conversation with Independent This week Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay also questioned the length of prison sentences handed down to protesters.
“I think we’ve seen examples of governments being heavy-handed and not issuing consistent punishments of various kinds,” he said. Independent.
“And I don’t think anyone can seriously say that peaceful protesters should receive more severe punishment than rapists.”
The Independent newspaper Climate 100 List We will be holding an online event in New York in September.
