United Nations experts released a report Wednesday fiercely defending climate change activists who have staged protests around the world blocking traffic and attacking famous works of art.
The report, written by Michael Forst, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, says government leaders should listen to activists who engage in destructive behavior, rather than punishing them for breaking the law. Says. Forst’s report also characterized recent government actions to suppress climate change protests as “repression” and a threat to democracy and human rights.
“The repression currently faced in Europe by environmentalists using peaceful civil disobedience is a major threat to democracy and human rights,” the report said. “The environmental crisis we collectively face and that scientists have documented for decades cannot be addressed if those who raise the alarm and demand action are criminalized for their crimes. you can’t.”
“The only legitimate response to peaceful environmental activism and civil disobedience at this time is for authorities, the media and the public to understand how important it is for all of us to listen to environmental activists.” That’s what I do,” he added.
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Activists throw soup at the Louvre’s famous Mona Lisa and pose while shouting slogans for a sustainable food system on January 28. (AP Photo/Clément Lanot)
Forst, who was elected as the first UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders in 2022, said that under the 1998 Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, peaceful environmental protests are recognized as “people’s right to participate in decision-making. It is said that it is protected as “the legitimate exercise of the law.”
In his report, he outlined how government authorities around the world are increasingly restricting certain forms of climate change protest in a “significant increase in repression.”
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He pointed out that environmental activists are often compared to terrorists. Anti-terrorism laws have been applied against environmental activists, police have used water cannons and pepper spray to break up ‘peaceful’ climate protests, protesters have been arrested and demonstrators have blocked traffic. has been sentenced to imprisonment or more. Up to 3 years.
“In some countries, environmental activism is considered a potential terrorist threat. “The law is increasingly being used to
Earlier this month, climate change activists dumped red powder on a protective display case containing the U.S. Constitution. (Ford Fisher)
“By classifying environmental activism as a potential terrorist threat, restricting freedom of expression, and criminalizing certain forms of protest and protesters, these law and policy changes are increasing the burden of civil space. “It contributes to shrinkage and seriously threatens the vitality of democratic societies,” he said. continue. “They also provide a legal basis for law enforcement to repress environmental defenders.”
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The report highlights specific examples of alleged repression in France, Northern Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Finland.
“These trends give the impression that the authorities’ intention is primarily to intimidate people from participating in protests,” Forst added.
He also called on countries to address the root causes of the protests by rapidly transitioning from fossil fuels to alternative green energy. The UN official also called on the media, parliamentarians, courts and law enforcement to tolerate environmental protests.
Mr. Forst’s report is based on the UK’s global Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, France’s Riposte Alimentaire, Italy’s Ultima Generazione, Sweden’s Wetland Restoration Movement, and Norway’s Stop Orgere. The announcement comes as left-wing groups such as Tinga and the US State of Emergency continue to organize. Civil disobedience protests happening all over the world. The increase in such acts has sparked widespread criticism.
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For example, in January, rebel activists threw soup at the famous Mona Lisa painting in Paris. Similar protests have seen activists deface Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in London, a Monet painting in Stockholm and Sandro Botticelli’s “Primavera” in Florence. include.
