Flux continu

The Prairieland case is about more than eight defendants. It is about the dangerous precedent being built around protest, political identity, and dissent.

Some Western nations are using old legislation or enacting harsh new laws to restrict the right to peaceful protest and impose disproportionate penalties, a report warns. Governments in democratic countries in Europe and the global north are using overly punitive measures to crack down on environmental activists, according to a new report.

The criminalization and repression of climate and environmental activists have intensified globally in the past few years.1 These are forms of backlash against often impactful social movements. The repressive wave has sparked major concerns in many quarters, with the UN secretary general, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, and many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), politicians, and social movements speaking out against it.2 In this article I will draw on findings from a University of Bristol project that I led on this topic.3 Driven by a combination of state and corporate actors, the repression of climate and environmental protest is a truly worldwide phenomenon that takes place across the Global North and South.

A Climate Rights International report exposes the increasingly heavy-handed treatment of climate activists in Australia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK and the US. It found the crackdown in these countries – including lengthy prison sentences, preventive detention and harassment – was a violation of governments’ legal responsibility to protect basic rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association. It also highlights how these same governments frequently criticise regimes in developing countries for not respecting the right to protest peacefully.

Il y a peu, le gouvernement équatorien a annoncé avoir mené avec succès ses premières opérations d’extraction pétrolière par fracturation hydraulique. Malheureusement, ces opérations concernent la forêt amazonienne, ainsi ses habitants. Les peuples autochtones protestent vivement mais le gouvernement semble vouloir absolument relancer la production nationale de pétrole, en déclin depuis au moins une décennie.

Thousands of rallies are expected across the U.S. on Saturday as part of the latest “No Kings” protest against the policies of President Donald Trump and his administration. Organizers said more than 3,200 events are planned in all 50 states for what they hope could be the largest single-day nonviolent protest in U.S. history. The two previous No Kings events attracted millions of participants.

Anti-authoritarian rallies, taking place in all 50 states plus 16 countries, are expected to be biggest in US history

 As climate protests are mounting across Italy, there is a corresponding escalation in repressive responses from public authorities. This trend is not unique to Italy but is rather widespread throughout Europe, as evidenced by frequent reports in national newspapers... What sets Italy apart from other European nations is the spectacular increase in the use of preventive measures by the public security administration.

In Ronse zijn vrijdagavond zo'n 250 mensen op straat gekomen om te protesteren tegen het PFAS-beleid. Bij de protestanten waren heel wat gezinnen, die zich zorgen maken over de gezondheid van hun kinderen. Ze eisen onder meer gratis bloedonderzoeken en een verhuizing van textielbedrijf Utexbel.

Extinction Rebellion says some members have been visited by agents claiming to be FBI amid Trump’s threats toward liberal groups