LONDON (Reuters) - Environmental activists accused of criminal damage cannot rely on their political or philosophical beliefs as a defence, London’s Court of Appeal ruled on Monday, raising the prospect of more protesters being convicted for direct action.
Various groups have targeted companies and political parties in Britain, causing damage to property in order to raise awareness of climate-change issues.
The rise in the use of direct action has prompted a wider crackdown on protest movements in Britain and across Europe, particularly in relation to environmental groups.
Monday’s ruling effectively prevents environmental protesters from relying on their beliefs about the dangers of climate change as a defence to criminal damage.
The problem is that they are protesting the lack of laws and regulation. So they can’t break laws to show they are unjust. They can take direct action against those that are most responsible for climate change, and people have been doing that. They are also frequently charged, penalized, fined, and imprisoned. They are bringing attention to a problem and hoping enough people notice.