#juststopoil — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #juststopoil, aggregated by home.social.
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Remember this for Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil.....
....if you're fash, you can injure the Police and get away with it. Only if you're fash though, protest for a better world and you're a terrorist...
#ACAB #Portsmouth #UKPol #UKPolitics #PatriotPlatform #JustStopOil #PalestineAction #TwoTierPolicing
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Remember this for Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil.....
....if you're fash, you can injure the Police and get away with it. Only if you're fash though, protest for a better world and you're a terrorist...
#ACAB #Portsmouth #UKPol #UKPolitics #PatriotPlatform #JustStopOil #PalestineAction #TwoTierPolicing
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Remember this for Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil.....
....if you're fash, you can injure the Police and get away with it. Only if you're fash though, protest for a better world and you're a terrorist...
#ACAB #Portsmouth #UKPol #UKPolitics #PatriotPlatform #JustStopOil #PalestineAction #TwoTierPolicing
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Remember this for Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil.....
....if you're fash, you can injure the Police and get away with it. Only if you're fash though, protest for a better world and you're a terrorist...
#ACAB #Portsmouth #UKPol #UKPolitics #PatriotPlatform #JustStopOil #PalestineAction #TwoTierPolicing
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Remember this for Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil.....
....if you're fash, you can injure the Police and get away with it. Only if you're fash though, protest for a better world and you're a terrorist...
#ACAB #Portsmouth #UKPol #UKPolitics #PatriotPlatform #JustStopOil #PalestineAction #TwoTierPolicing
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New breed of political prisoner arises in Britain as anti-protest sentences rise https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/may/23/anti-protest-sentences-rise-england-wales-political-prisoners #UkCriminalJustice #EnvironmentalActivism #Protest #PalestineAction #UkNews #Law #PrisonsAndProbation #JustStopOil #Palestine
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Criminalisation of climate protesters in UK is counterproductive, research finds https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/25/criminalisation-of-climate-protesters-in-uk-is-counterproductive-research-finds #EnvironmentalActivism #Protest #ClimateCrisis #Psychology #JustStopOil #Environment #Science #UkNews
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#RightToProtest is under attack in #England and #Wales, reports warn
#HumanRightsWatch and Justice say recent legislative changes have had a chilling effect and should be repealedby Haroon Siddique
Thu 8 Jan 2026"The right to protest is under attack in England and Wales with laws trampling over human rights protections and more oppressive restrictions in the pipeline, two major reports have warned.
"Both Human Rights Watch and the cross-party law reform organisation Justice say recent legislative changes have created a chilling effect on lawful protest and should be repealed. Their reports, simultaneously published on Thursday, also say that proposals for more curbs should be halted.
"They highlight the arrest of Republic #AntiMonarchy protesters during King Charles’s coronation, charges and arrests of #ProPalestinian demonstrators and long sentences for #ClimateProtesters as examples of the crackdown on the right to peaceful dissent.
"Fiona Rutherford, chief executive of Justice, said: 'Year by year, we see police powers grow, as our fundamental right to protest is treated more like a privilege. The law in this area has become dangerously unbalanced, empowering the state to silence voices it should be safeguarding. Reversing this trend is essential to restoring trust, protecting rights and preserving a healthy democracy.'
"Lydia Gall, a senior Europe and Central Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: 'The UK is now adopting protest-control tactics imposed in countries where democratic safeguards are collapsing. The UK should oppose such measures, not replicate and endorse them.'
"Both reports say that the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the #PublicOrderAct 2023 were watershed moments, criminalising large amounts of previously lawful protest activity and placing a greater emphasis on preemptive containment of protest through criminal law.
The 2022 law granted police authority to impose conditions on public assemblies on grounds such as causing 'serious unease' or being 'too noisy', described by Human Rights Watch as 'vague and subjective'.
"Members of the public can be arrested for carrying items – described as innocuous by Justice – including cable ties, bike locks or glue, on suspicion that they may be used for 'locking‑on'."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/KORuE#CriminalizingProtest #SilencingDissent #EnvironmentalActivists #GazaGenocide #HumanRights #AntiProtestLaws
#RightToProtest #ACAB #UKPol #JustStopOil #PalestineAction -
Meet the OAPs (old age protesters) getting arrested for climate activism
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The only reason I posted this, is to remind normies and #statusquo types who are afraid of #anarchists :anarchoheart1: :anqueer_flag: :anarchismhebrew: :anarchoheart3: , #antifascists :antifa: , #socialists :socialiststar: #trans :heart_trans: and nb :heart_nb: people, pro-PalestineProtesters 🇵🇸 , #BLM ✊🏾 ✊🏿 , #dragperformers, and #JustStopOil or #ExtinctionRebellion :xr: :
Remember! OUR side doesn't do shit like this! ⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOF2XjV6CQY
#CapitolRiots survivor #MichaelFanone talks about how he and his family are violently targeted by the #farright , including #ultras throwing poo at HIS MOTHER!!!! DISGUSTING!
#J6 #ProudBoys #USAFascistShitShow #6Janinsurrection #FCKNZS #ExtrêmeDroite
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And how much economic damage is from climate change and pollution from #FossilFuels? #BigOil is the real criminal here!
#ClimateProtesters are taking action against Big Oil. UK courts are handing them prison terms akin to rapists and thieves
By Kara Fox, CNN
September 14, 2024London CNN — "As #RightWing rioters attacked communities with #racist violence across parts of the UK last month, 22-year-old #ClimateActivist #CressieGethin sat in a prison cell.
"Her crime? Organizing a disruptive protest against new government-granted licenses to drill for oil — a planet-heating #FossilFuel — in the #NorthSea.
"In late July, a London court found #Gethin and four other members of the #JustStopOil activist group guilty of 'conspiring intentionally to cause a #PublicNuisance,' after recruiting protesters to climb structures along the M25 — a major ring road around London — bringing traffic to a standstill in parts over four days in November 2022.
"Prosecutors alleged that the protests, organized over a #ZoomCall, disrupted more than 700,000 drivers, caused economic damage of over £760,000 ($980,000) and racked up £1 million ($1.3m) in policing costs.
"Now Gethin and three others — Louise Lancaster, #DanielShaw and #LuciaWhittakerDeAbreu, who planned the disruption on the call — are serving four-year jail terms, while Just Stop Oil co-founder #RogerHallam was given five years. All are appealing.
"The sentences are believed to be the longest in the UK’s history for #nonviolent protest and were delivered under two new controversial laws that supercharged #policing powers to crack down on disruptive protests, even when they are peaceful.
"They place the act of planning a 'public nuisance' event, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, on a similar footing as #ViolentCrimes like robbery, for which punishments range from community service to 12 years’ jail, or rape, which is four to 19 years.
"The judge — who in court referred to the activists as '#extremists' — justified the long jail terms because all five activists had previously been convicted of one or more offenses in relation to direct action protest. Each were on bail for another set of proceedings when the Zoom call took place. He also noted people missed important doctor’s visits and funerals because of the protest.
"But activists like Gethin say their demonstrations are proportionate to the problem at hand — a rapidly warming world that threatens to transform life as we know it, through deadly #ExtremeWeather events and by pushing #ecosystems to their brinks. They are now battling the bolstered powers of the #police and courts to get their point across.
“'A very harsh sentence like this doesn’t make sense morally or legally — but it does make sense politically,' Gethin told CNN in a handwritten letter from HMP Bronzefield, a women’s prison just south of London’s Heathrow Airport.
"The laws have drawn criticism from the UN’s special rapporteur on #EnvironmentalDefenders, #MichaelForst, who said not only do they criminalize peaceful protest, but they are being enforced in 'punitive and repressive' ways."
Read more:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/14/climate/uk-climate-protests-policing-laws-prison-intl/index.html#BigOilAndGas #ClimateActivists #ClimateProtest #SLAPPs #CorporateColonialism #WaterDefenders
#ClimateDefenders
#EnvironmentalActivists
#SilencingDissent #SLAPPs #ClimateActivists #CorporateColonialism
#EarthDefenders #CriminalizingDissent #FreeSpeech #RightToProtest #BiodiversityNecessityDefense
#EarthDefenders
#SLAPPs #Fascism #CivilDisobedience
#Activism #ClimateStrike
#HumanRights #Article20 #2023PublicOrderAct #ClimateNecessityDefense #Corporatocracy #CorporateFascism #ClimateCrisis #ClimateCatastrophe -
We need the #BCgovernment to get the message from concerned communities across B.C. that we must work together and with urgency to #protect #OldGrowthForests and #reform #forestry practices. To do so, the next steps are crucial:
#StopLogging in the most at-risk #OldGrowth #forests, and other #ecosystems identified by First Nations, by providing promised funding for #LoggingDeferrals.
Provide full #FinancialSupport to #FirstNations for long-term #IndigenousLed #conservation solutions, including #compensation for lost revenues and employment.
Move away from the “all or nothing” approach common in forestry practices across B.C. and most evident in #ClearcutLogging. In its place, work with First Nations, local residents, industry and other stakeholders to implement forestry practices that prioritize important values like #biodiversity, #habitat, #WaterRetention, #Indigenous #CulturalUse, and #tourism.
#PleaseSignPetition & boost to help #SpreadTheWord ->
#SierraClubBC #BCpoli #StopEcocide #BritishColumbia #Environmental #SaveOldGrowth #ClimateCrisis #BCNDP #BanCorporateLobbyists #Wildfires #floods #ClimateEmergency #BCwildfires #BCfloods #NaturalDisasters #ClimateMitigation #StopDeforestation #JustStopOil #DoTheRightThing #OneEarth #BCForestryReform
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"The increasing severity of #wildfires and #drought highlights that reforming #ForestStewardship – taking better care of the forests, including safeguarding #OldGrowthForests – is one of our best hopes to protect communities across B.C.
Harmful #forestry practices like #clearcutting and #unsustainable #IndustrialLogging make extreme heat and wildfires worse. #Clearcuts are #tinderboxes, more prone to creating embers because dead trees and branches dry out in the hot sun and become more #flammable. Tree plantations and improperly tended young forests also increase wildfire risk: Younger trees have thinner bark and low-hanging branches that can act as ladder fuels, and the trees are often planted too close together, making it easy for fire to spread.
Fortunately, intact and properly managed #forests are more resilient to the worsening wildfires and heatwaves. For example, #OldGrowth #rainforests have dense canopies which provide cooling shade that resists fire. They are cooler and wetter than young forests, acting as giant sponges. Old-growth trees in the drier interior have thick bark, high branches and are widely spaced which all reduce #WildfireRisk.
#SierraClubBC #BCpoli #StopEcocide #BritishColumbia #Environmental #SaveOldGrowth #ClimateCrisis #BCNDP #BanCorporateLobbyists #Wildfires #floods #ClimateEmergency #BCwildfires #BCfloods #NaturalDisasters #ClimateMitigation #StopDeforestation #JustStopOil #DoTheRightThing #OneEarth #BCForestryReform
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UN flags ‘grave concerns’ over government's clampdown on climate protesters | Morning Star
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/un-flags-grave-concerns-over-governments-clampdown-climate-protesters#UN
#UKGov
#Protests
#ProtestBans
#ClimateProtests
#UNSpecialRapporteurOnEnviromentalDefenders
#Forst
#PublicOrderAct2023
#PublicOrderAct
#JustStopOil
#InsulateBritain
#PoliceCrimeSentencingAndCourtsAct
#Murdock
#NewsUK
#ClimateScience
#ClimateScienceSuppression
#GlobalSouth -
The right to #protest is under threat in #Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy
By JILL LAWLESS
December 26, 2023LONDON (AP) — "For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading '#JustStopOil' off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year prison sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.
"They are among hundreds of #environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.
"The Conservative government says the laws prevent extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say #CivilRights are being eroded without enough scrutiny from lawmakers or protection by the courts. They say the sweeping arrests of peaceful #demonstrators, along with government officials labeling #EnvironmentalActivists #extremists, mark a worrying departure for a liberal democracy.
"'Legitimate protest is part of what makes any country a safe and civilized place to live',' said Jonathon Porritt, an #ecologist and former director of #FriendsOfTheEarth, who joined a vigil outside London’s Central Criminal Court to protest the treatment of demonstrators.
"'The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest and to use every conceivable mechanism at their disposal to do that.'"
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs #AbolishTheMonarchy #2023PublicOrderAct
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The right to #protest is under threat in #Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy
By JILL LAWLESS
December 26, 2023LONDON (AP) — "For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading '#JustStopOil' off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year prison sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.
"They are among hundreds of #environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.
"The Conservative government says the laws prevent extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say #CivilRights are being eroded without enough scrutiny from lawmakers or protection by the courts. They say the sweeping arrests of peaceful #demonstrators, along with government officials labeling #EnvironmentalActivists #extremists, mark a worrying departure for a liberal democracy.
"'Legitimate protest is part of what makes any country a safe and civilized place to live',' said Jonathon Porritt, an #ecologist and former director of #FriendsOfTheEarth, who joined a vigil outside London’s Central Criminal Court to protest the treatment of demonstrators.
"'The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest and to use every conceivable mechanism at their disposal to do that.'"
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs #AbolishTheMonarchy #2023PublicOrderAct
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The right to #protest is under threat in #Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy
By JILL LAWLESS
December 26, 2023LONDON (AP) — "For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading '#JustStopOil' off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year prison sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.
"They are among hundreds of #environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.
"The Conservative government says the laws prevent extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say #CivilRights are being eroded without enough scrutiny from lawmakers or protection by the courts. They say the sweeping arrests of peaceful #demonstrators, along with government officials labeling #EnvironmentalActivists #extremists, mark a worrying departure for a liberal democracy.
"'Legitimate protest is part of what makes any country a safe and civilized place to live',' said Jonathon Porritt, an #ecologist and former director of #FriendsOfTheEarth, who joined a vigil outside London’s Central Criminal Court to protest the treatment of demonstrators.
"'The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest and to use every conceivable mechanism at their disposal to do that.'"
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs #AbolishTheMonarchy #2023PublicOrderAct
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The right to #protest is under threat in #Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy
By JILL LAWLESS
December 26, 2023LONDON (AP) — "For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading '#JustStopOil' off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year prison sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.
"They are among hundreds of #environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.
"The Conservative government says the laws prevent extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say #CivilRights are being eroded without enough scrutiny from lawmakers or protection by the courts. They say the sweeping arrests of peaceful #demonstrators, along with government officials labeling #EnvironmentalActivists #extremists, mark a worrying departure for a liberal democracy.
"'Legitimate protest is part of what makes any country a safe and civilized place to live',' said Jonathon Porritt, an #ecologist and former director of #FriendsOfTheEarth, who joined a vigil outside London’s Central Criminal Court to protest the treatment of demonstrators.
"'The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest and to use every conceivable mechanism at their disposal to do that.'"
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs #AbolishTheMonarchy #2023PublicOrderAct
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The right to #protest is under threat in #Britain, undermining a pillar of democracy
By JILL LAWLESS
December 26, 2023LONDON (AP) — "For holding a sign outside a courthouse reminding jurors of their right to acquit defendants, a retiree faces up to two years in prison. For hanging a banner reading '#JustStopOil' off a bridge, an engineer got a three-year prison sentence. Just for walking slowly down the street, scores of people have been arrested.
"They are among hundreds of #environmental activists arrested for peaceful demonstrations in the U.K., where tough new laws restrict the right to protest.
"The Conservative government says the laws prevent extremist activists from hurting the economy and disrupting daily life. Critics say #CivilRights are being eroded without enough scrutiny from lawmakers or protection by the courts. They say the sweeping arrests of peaceful #demonstrators, along with government officials labeling #EnvironmentalActivists #extremists, mark a worrying departure for a liberal democracy.
"'Legitimate protest is part of what makes any country a safe and civilized place to live',' said Jonathon Porritt, an #ecologist and former director of #FriendsOfTheEarth, who joined a vigil outside London’s Central Criminal Court to protest the treatment of demonstrators.
"'The government has made its intent very clear, which is basically to suppress what is legitimate, lawful protest and to use every conceivable mechanism at their disposal to do that.'"
#DigitalFreeSpeech #DirectAction #Fascism #CriminalizingDissent #WaterIsLife #WaterProtectors #ForestDefenders #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #RightToProtest #SlowMarch #BigOilAndGas #SLAPPs #AbolishTheMonarchy #2023PublicOrderAct
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Just Stop Oil activist jailed for six months for taking part in slow march
Stephen Gingell, 57, thought to be first to receive prison sentence under new Public Order Act
by Damien Gayle
Fri 15 Dec 2023"A #ClimateActivist has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to taking part in a peaceful #SlowMarch protest on a London road.
"The sentence handed to Stephen Gingell, 57, is thought to be the first jailing under a new law that critics say makes anyone walking in a road liable for prosecution for 'interference with key national infrastructure'.
"#Section7 of the #PublicOrderAct2023 bans any act that prevents newspaper printing presses, power plants, #oil and #gas extraction or distribution sites, #harbours, #airports, #railways or #roads 'from being used or operated to any extent', with a potential penalty of 12 months in jail.
"Gingell, a father of three from #Manchester, was one of about 40 supporters of #JustStopOil who spent about 30 minutes marching on #HollowayRoad in north #London at about 4pm on 12 November, the climate campaign group said.
"He pleaded guilty to breach of section 7 at a hearing that same month at Wimbledon magistrates court. On Thursday, his case was transferred to Manchester magistrates court, where he was sentenced to six months.
"Just Stop Oil has been campaigning since 2022 for the UK government to stop all new fossil fuel production. The campaign’s 'guerrilla tactics' were cited by the Home Office when it introduced the Public Order Act’s tough new #AntiProtest measures to parliament.
"Police began using section 7 to tackle Just Stop Oil’s protests at the end of October, arresting 60 people taking part in a march in Parliament Square. In a campaign of slow march protests carried out by the group between then and 4 December, 470 of the group’s supporters were arrested 630 times, with about half of those arrests under the new law.
"A spokesperson for the campaign said: 'Section 7 of the Public Order Act 2023, a law drafted by the #FossilFuel lobby, was introduced in April by Priti Patel, and covers ‘interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructure’. It seems this government has now made walking down the road, walking on the public highway an illegal act that is worthy of imprisonment.
"'How many fathers will be imprisoned before those planning to kill us are stopped? New oil and gas will see millions upon millions lose their homes, livelihoods and lives. Protected by the government, by failed politicians, by the police, those committing genocide continue to walk free, those protesting the killings are banged up. Whose side are you on?'
"The human rights organisation Liberty criticised Gingell’s sentencing. Katy Watts, a lawyer at Liberty, said: “It is shocking to see such harsh sentences handed down to protesters. This is yet another unnecessary and draconian law introduced by a government that is hell-bent on discouraging people from standing up for what they believe in. It is a clear attempt to silence people and for the government to hide from all accountability.
"Protest is a fundamental right, not a gift from the state. Government should be protecting our right to protest, not criminalising it.'"
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/15/just-stop-oil-activist-is-first-to-be-jailed-under-new-uk-protest-law?share=jetpack-whatsapp#BigOilAndGas #WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent #DefendTheForest #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent #CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #AbolishTheMonarchy #RightToProtest
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Another court challenge to #AntiProtest laws -- this one in the #UK
High court challenge to ‘constitutionally unprecedented’ UK anti-protest law
#NationalCouncilForCivilLiberties brings civil case to quash ‘back-door’ regulations making it easier for police to stop protests
By Daniel Boffey, November 29, 2023
"A new law making it easier for the police to put conditions on peaceful protests is 'constitutionally unprecedented' and unlawful, according to a claim filed at the high court in #London.
"The legal challenge from the National Council for Civil Liberties, also known as #Liberty, is seeking to have the controversial regulations quashed, given what the advocacy group describes as the #draconian consequences for fundamental rights.
"The former home secretary Suella Braverman used the government’s so-called #HenryVIII powers to lower the threshold for the police to impose restrictions on protests, allowing it where there is merely a 'more than minor' hindrance on people’s daily lives.
"The change, through a statutory instrument in the Lords, came after the chamber rejected the same change, proposed months earlier in a heavily debated and scrutinised new public order act. Peers do not by convention normally vote down statutory instruments.
"The manner in which the regulations are said to have been forced through parliament is said by lawyers acting for Liberty to 'represent a constitutionally unprecedented attempt on the part of the executive to achieve by the back door through delegated legislation what it was unable to achieve by the front'.
"There had been 'no reasonable justification' provided for using a statutory instrument to change the law, it is claimed, and there was inadequate consultation of those who would be affected.
"Katy Watts, a lawyer at Liberty, said: 'We all want to live in a society where our government respect the rules, but time and again this government has done the opposite. The previous home secretary’s actions to sneak in rejected laws through the back door are a particularly egregious example of this.
“The wording of the government’s new law is so vague that anything deemed by police to cause ‘more than a minor’ disturbance could have restrictions imposed upon it. This has serious implications for everyone’s right to stand up for the things they believe in.
“These laws had been thrown out by parliament just months before the then home secretary introduced them. It’s shocking to see the government so flagrantly disregard our vital democratic checks and balances, and we’re determined not to let this stand.
“Our legal action is intended to stop this government’s flouting of the law in its tracks, and make sure that nobody – including our politicians – is above the law. It’s vital that they are not allowed to get away with it.'
"In the protest regulations brought into force on 14 June, 'more than minor' hindrances or delays are included in the definition of 'serious disruption' that is the threshold at which the police may impose conditions on a protest under the public order act 1986.
"The police are also allowed to take into account the cumulative effect of repeated protests when deciding whether the threshold had been met.
"The government has said the regulations are an attempt to deal with the activities of #JustStopOil and #ExtinctionRebellion, and that the language around 'more than minor' hindrances mirrors that in other new offences of ‘locking-on’ and ‘tunnelling’.
"The changes were nevertheless rejected by the House of Lords in February by 254 votes to 240 when they were put forward as amendments during the passage of the public order bill 2023, only for them to re-emerge in a statutory instrument.
"Regulations brought in by such means, known a Henry VIII powers in reference to the monarch’s preference for legislating directly by proclamation, are subject to minimal parliamentary scrutiny and decided on an 'all or nothing' basis without amendments.
"Between 1950 and 2017, only 0.01% of the total number of such instruments laid before parliament were rejected.
"Liberty’s legal challenge refers to supporting comments by the Lords’ secondary legislation scrutiny committee, which had been sufficiently alarmed to warn peers of 'constitutional issues' and told them it was 'not aware of any examples of this approach being taken in the past'.
"The legal challenge said it could not be right that parliament was 'treated as having provided [the] executive with a blank cheque to lower the applicable threshold by the back door and thereby sanction greater police interference with public assemblies and protests'.
"The government’s consultation is also said to have been limited to a roundtable chaired by the prime minister with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Metropolitan police service and the police and crime commissioners of the police forces whose areas include the M25 and national highways.
"A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The right to protest is a fundamental part of our democracy but we must also protect the law-abiding majority’s right to go about their daily lives.
"'That is why legislation is in place to clarify the definition of serious disruption and give police the confidence they need to clear roads quickly.
"'This legislation was voted on by both the House of Commons and House of Lords, following proper parliamentary procedure.'"
#WaterProtectors #DirectAction #CriminalizingDissent
#DefendTheForest #EnvironmentalActivists
#ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent
#CorporateColonialism
#EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations #Article20 #AbolishTheMonarchy #RightToProtest #SlowMarch -
Police make 630 arrests of #climate #protesters in #London in one month
Liberty condemns ‘staggering and shocking’ statistic as #AntiProtest legislation is enacted
by Sandra Laville and Damien Gayle, December 4, 2023
"Police have made at least 630 arrests of peaceful protesters campaigning against new #OilAndGas production in the past month, as the authorities exploit new powers under the government’s anti-protest legislation.
"The mass arrests of more than 470 people – some individuals were arrested more than once – was condemned by #CivilRights group #Liberty as 'staggering and shocking'.
"The protests involve slow marching along roads and are a form of peaceful civil resistance analogous to the 'freedom' rides in the US in 1961, when individuals protested against segregated public transport, says #JustStopOil.
"Evidence gathered by the Guardian over the last four weeks reveals some people have been held in police custody for long periods after arrest.
"A 23-year-old was arrested within five minutes of joining a demonstration on 13 November, and held for 56 hours in custody before being presented to court, according to his testimony to the Guardian.
"A 19-year-old student was held for three nights in a London prison despite being given bail by a magistrates court. The student is considering a case of false imprisonment.
"The protests over the past four weeks coincided with the British government confirming in the king’s speech its plans to grant new #NorthSea oil and gas licences every year.
"Police are using new powers to make the #MassArrests under section 7 of the Conservative government’s Public Order Act 2023, which bans any action that 'interferes with the use or operation of any key national infrastructure'.
"According to data gathered by Just Stop Oil and not disputed by the Metropolitan police, almost half of the arrests were carried out under #Section7. The offence carries a prison sentence of up to 12 months.
"The 19-year-old student, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was held in a London prison for four nights after his arrest under section 7. After the first night in prison, he appeared by video link for a court appearance. He was bailed by the court, and should have been released. The student was held for a further three nights in a prison cell, according to testimony given to the Guardian.
"'I consider that I was illegally imprisoned over the three nights of that weekend and will be taking a case of wrongful imprisonment,' the student said.
"Another 19-year-old student who was arrested and also cannot be named for legal reasons, was held for 50 hours in a London police cell, from a Monday morning to Wednesday at 1pm.
"She was charged under section 7 of the act after 24 hours in custody, but held for another day-and-a-half in custody before being taken to court.
"'I remember asking for my medication, and I didn’t get it,' she said. 'I asked multiple times. One of the officers said: ‘Why didn’t you have it with you?’ I said: ‘I didn’t expect to be held for 50 hours in a cell.’ And the officer said: ‘What, after what you have done?’
"'Like I was a murderer or something, they just wanted me to feel bad.'
"Jun Pang, a policy and campaigns officer for Liberty, said: 'We all have the right to make our voices heard on the issues that matter to us. The staggering number of people arrested in recent weeks, many under this new legislation, shows just how sweeping and dangerous these powers are. It’s shocking to see hundreds of young protesters criminalised simply for standing up for what they believe in.'
"Scotland Yard said 630 arrests had been made of Just Stop Oil protesters since 30 October, and 328 people went on to be charged. The rest have been released on police bail.
"JSO data shows at least 276 people have been charged: at least 125 were charged with blocking key national infrastructure under section 7 and 125 with the lesser offence of wilful obstruction of the highway."
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/04/police-arrest-climate-protesters-london
#SlowMarch #SlowMarches #BigOilAndGas #UK
#CriminalizingDissent #EnvironmentalActivists #ClimateActivists #ClimateJustice #ACAB #Fascism #SilencingDissent
#CorporateColonialism #EcoActivists #Censorship #HumanRightsViolations -
What if #climate activists spoke the language of populists?
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What if #climate activists spoke the language of populists?
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What if #climate activists spoke the language of populists?
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What if #climate activists spoke the language of populists?
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What if #climate activists spoke the language of populists?
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Royal superfan arrested for standing near Just Stop Oil protesters misses coronation | The Independent
#Police
#Coronation
#Royalist
#RoyalFan
#ProtestBans
#Protests
#JustStopOil
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronation-arrests-alice-chambers-protests-b2337304.html -
Police state Britain | Morning Star
#HumanRights
#Police
#PolicePowers
#ProtestBans
#Coronation
#Protests
#Protestors
#Republic
#NotMyKing
#Arrests
#PublicOrderAct
#JustStopOil
#TShirts
#AnimalRising
#FreeSpeech
#HumanRightsWatch
#30pLee
#Phillips
#Frazerhttps://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/police-state-britain
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Interesting working paper with survey evidence of a radical flank effect in the #ClimateMovement : #JustStopOil disruptions increasing support for #FriendsOfTheEarth (pdf, via @Fisher_DanaR) https://www.socialchangelab.org/_files/ugd/503ba4_04d698277e2546d4bd7937e161f18d9d.pdf
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Tonight on #LBCNews…
The latest from #cop27 another day of #JustStopOil protests and the death of legendary actor #lesliephillips at the age of 98 #DingDong
Listen live on 1152AM in London, DAB across the UK or on Global Player here: https://www.globalplayer.com/live/lbcnews/uk/