Climate protests continue to grow in Europe, spurred on by the planet's rising temperatures, and are becoming increasingly disruptive: road and bridge cuts, airport occupations, boycotts of major events… They are being led by new organizations that are far from classic environmental protection are peaceful civil disobedience demanding that the climate emergency ends now, and who carry out some controversial actions, such as attacks on works of art or monuments. In response, pressure from the authorities against this type of activism has increased: in Spain, in recent weeks, the police have arrested 22 members of Futuro Vegetal, accused of being a criminal organization, and reported this in the same language that they used before Mafia or Criminals use organizations. Meanwhile, prosecutors are seeking 21 months in prison for 15 people who used biodegradable paint to protest outside Congress in 2022. Along the same lines, the United Kingdom and Germany have tightened rules regulating demonstrations – several British activists are already in prison – while other countries are relying on laws aimed at violent protests or terrorism. At the same time, Europol is warning European police about the danger of climate activism turning into violence.
Environmentalists denounce an attempt to criminalize the movement, with the far right leading the way. In Spain, Vox has labeled organizations like Greenpeace “eco-terrorists” and sued the Futuro Vegetal activists who stuck to the framework of Goya’s “Las Majas” at the Prado Museum for, among other things, crimes against heritage, resistance, disobedience and public unrest . “They are useful fools of the globalist billionaires who, like religious fanatics, have a great interest in impoverishing economies and spreading fear.” “These terrorist acts against artistic heritage should be punished more criminally,” demanded the Ultra group.
Just Stop Oil activists block a street in London. Kirsty Wigglesworth (AP)
This also worries Michel Forst, the United Nations' first special rapporteur on environmentalists: “Not only is there a risk of repression of environmentalists across Europe: this is an already existing trend – and worrying – that does not appear to exist.” Spain “got rid of it,” he explains to EL PAÍS. He added: “Through my visits to many European countries last year, including Spain, I had the opportunity to assess the extent of this repression. I have seen peaceful environmental protesters compared to terrorists or punished with up to three years in prison simply for exercising their right to protest. “I have also received many reports about environmental movements and protesters being subjected to surveillance, wiretaps or raids on their homes: although the use of organized crime or anti-terrorism laws against environmental movements is far from new, I am very concerned about this increasing criminalization.”
The fear of activists is that this criminalization permeates the institutions and that is why they raised their voices after the Public Prosecutor's Office of the National Court introduced “radical environmental protection” under the heading of “terrorist” threats in its biennial annual report years (2022 and 2023), with explicit reference to Extinction Rebellion (XR) and Futuro Vegetal. An inclusion that the state's attorney general, Álvaro García Ortiz – who was deputy environmental prosecutor in Galicia and made the accusation in the Prestige case – later promised to correct. “We believe that mentioning these groups in this section is inappropriate,” the head of the State Department said in a letter in which he acknowledged “how necessary environmental activism is to advance the essential protection of the environment in its broadest sense.” “ “.
Environmentalists, however, are not confident. “The public prosecutor's office has announced that it will change this name, but in practice the police are arresting activists who they consider to be a criminal organization,” says Inés Díez, a Greenpeace lawyer, who also points out that the recent reform of the criminal code A legal change was passed a year ago that can be used against activists: “The reform of Article 557 to include serious public disorder may entail penalties of three to five years.” [de prisión]. There is no indictment yet that requires this, but there will be some trials this year and we fear it could be applied to these protests.”
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Three Futuro Vegetal activists spray paint and tape on a private jet at Ibiza airport in the Balearic Islands last July.FUTURO VEGETAL (FUTURO VEGETAL)
Sources from the Public Prosecutor's Office insist that no terrorism case has been opened against these groups in the National Court and admit that it is an exaggeration to classify the actions carried out so far by these groups as terrorist crimes. According to their justification, their inclusion in this section of the report was an automatic result of the fact that the State Security Forces included them in the analysis and data package that they sent to the Public Prosecutor's Office of the National Court on terrorist threats. The information teams of these corps (traditionally specialized in the fight against ETA) have begun to investigate “radical environmentalism” as part of their “prevention and surveillance work” because they fear that violent groups could exploit the actions of these groups to infiltrate and provoke , these sources emphasize.
An activist: “I woke up to the police hitting my caravan”
In any case, the Madrid prosecutor's office is already demanding prison sentences for climate activists: 15 of the members of Scientific Rebellion who protested by defacing Congress with biodegradable paint face a 21-month prison sentence. One of them is Javier de la Casa, scientist at Creaf (Center for Ecological Research and Forest Applications, a public center): “There is no news about the case, we do not have a date for the trial yet. “It is clear that these types of allegations and recent arrests are a way to criminalize peaceful protests so that people will not support them.”
Police arrest a Scientific Rebellion activist who protested in Congress in 2022. Marcos del Mazo (LightRocket/Getty Images)
In addition, last December the National Police arrested 22 members of Futuro Vegetal on charges of being a criminal organization. They join three other people who were arrested several months earlier. The agents identify their sources of financing and attribute damage of more than half a million euros to them. Doctor and activist Mar González was arrested twice in Spain and again in France: “One morning I woke up to the police pounding on my caravan and I still have nightmares about it. But I’m more afraid of the bleak future that awaits us if we don’t stop climate change, and that makes me continue to mobilize.”
And he adds: “Law enforcement is trying to silence us because we are putting on the table a serious problem that we all have and our actions are contrary to the interests of big companies.” “They want to criminalize us so that nothing happens More people join the protests and we do not continue to denounce this injustice.” Bilbo Bassaterra, another of those detained, agrees: “We are an organization that carries out non-violent protests so that action is taken on the climate crisis.” The alleged crimes attributed to us are very questionable. In fact, we have no conviction at the moment.”
Under the microscope of Europol: Arrests and high fines in Europe
The zeal of the Spanish police is in line with the line set by security forces across Europe, which is reflected in the latest Europol report on the situation and development of terrorism in the European Union. Under the heading “Extremism,” this dossier devotes a section to environmental movements: “The line between environmental activism and environmental extremism is often confusing, but some of the narratives from environmental activists could have the power to foment violence among extremists.” Europol reveals that some member states fear , that the “radicalization” of some of these groups could lead to a drift “toward terrorist and violent activities, possibly carried out by secret groups.” It also points to alleged connections with “other phenomena of extremism, particularly those of the left and anarchist extremists.”
Line Niedeggen from Climate Activist Defenders – an NGO that defends climate activists around the world – answers this: “What we are seeing in Europe is a continuation of what has been happening in the global south for many years.” States need the capital and the infrastructure protect those who cause this climate injustice. Now we see a lot of laws to suppress these types of activists. In Germany, regional laws in the states are being changed to increase repression. And the people who blocked Berlin airport face fines running into the millions.”
Last generation activists paint the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Annette Riedl (AP/LAPRESSE)
The “Last Generation” protests in Germany have already left a trail of court judgments and heavy fines and are suspected by the police of being a criminal organization. Most of these are road closures, although they also painted the Brandenburg Gate orange twice, damaging the cultural heritage. Christian Bergemann, spokesman for the group, explains: “There were thousands of arrests during peaceful protests. In addition, a hundred people were preventively detained for several days in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Bavaria to prevent them from taking part in protests.” This is the case with Bergemann himself, who was in preventive detention. “Almost twenty people were sentenced to prison, a dozen of them without parole. The harshest sentence so far was eight months for a person involved in three road blockades, although an appeal is still possible,” the spokesman said.
Protest by several Scientific Rebellion activists in Düsseldorf. picture Alliance (dpa/Picture Alliance via Getty I)
Another defendant in Germany is the Spanish scientist Mauricio Misquero, who took part in Scientific Rebellion actions in that country. “In 2022, we carried out several actions in Munich, such as closing a street and blocking luxury cars from entering the BMW Museum. They put us in a makeshift prison for a week. And now we are facing a trial in which they are asking us to pay thousands of euros in fines, which, if not paid, will result in a prison sentence. They have already taken several to court and each has been fined 1,200 euros.” Misquero has also taken part in Futuro Vegetal actions in Spain and was arrested here too. “All European countries are increasing their repression of the most active civil disobedience groups,” he says.
A bloody case is that of the United Kingdom, where several Just Stop Oil activists are serving prison sentences for this type of protest – the organization does not know how many. Marcus Decker and Morgan Trowland were sentenced to almost three years in prison for hanging on a London bridge that had to be closed to traffic. This is considered the longest sentence for a peaceful protest. Mike Lynch-White was sentenced to almost two years in prison for two other crimes. At the same time, several activists, not just teenagers, have been sent to prison for blocking traffic in various British cities: Stephen Gingell, 57, has just been sentenced to six months in prison for blocking a road in Manchester.
Two Just Stop Oil activists use hammers to break the glass protecting Velázquez's work “Venus in the Mirror” in the National Gallery. Kristian Buus (In pictures via Getty Images)
In France, the executive is relying on laws passed two years ago to curb radical Islamism to try to ban and disband the Les soulèvements de la terre (Earth Uprisings) movement, which includes numerous groups across the country, explains a spokesman requesting anonymity. The court overturned this decision. “In addition, at least one person is in prison because of the demonstration against the mega dams last year, and many people have taken precautions to take action against concrete companies. “In fact, there is an anti-terror directive for these actions,” he adds.
In Italy, Ultima Generazione is facing several court cases, as spokeswoman Simona Bussi explains: “Two members of the organization who protested in front of the Vatican Museums were sentenced to nine months in prison and a fine of 1,500 euros, although the sentence has been imposed for the time being.” suspended pending appeal. They also face a claim for damages of 28,000 euros.” In addition, “15 activists were arrested and given precautionary measures, such as: B. the obligation to sign every day at the police station, and a further 13 were held in prison for three days before being tried for road blocking. Anyone who protests without permission faces a six-month prison sentence, a road block can be included be punished with a fine of 4,000 euros.
The string of arrests and heavy fines continues in a Europe where climate activists were until recently held in high esteem. “There is a remarkable and very rapid increase in the repression of the climate movement in general. “In just a few years they have turned from young conscious people into dangerous criminals, and this is part of a restriction of democratic space in the EU,” summarizes Javier Raboso, spokesman for Greenpeace. Michel Forst, UN rapporteur, concludes: “I am very concerned that there is also repression of environmental movements in Europe.”
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