UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention releases a position paper on state repression of environmental protest and civil disobedience | UNECE
unece.org

“The environmental emergency that we are collectively facing, and that scientists have been documenting for decades, cannot be addressed if those raising the alarm and demanding action are criminalized for it,” says Michel Forst, UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention.

The position paper concludes with five calls for action to States on how to make a profound change in how they respond to environmental protest:

  1. First and foremost: States must address the root causes of environmental mobilization.

  2. In terms of the media and political discourse: States must take immediate action to counter narratives that portray environmental defenders and their movements as criminals.

  3. In terms of legislation and policy: States must not use the increase of environmental civil disobedience as a pretext to restrict the civic space and the exercise of fundamental freedoms.

  4. In terms of law enforcement: States must comply with their international obligations related to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in their response to environmental protest and civil disobedience and immediately cease the use of measures designed for counterterrorism and organized crime against environmental defenders.

  5. And with respect to the courts: States must ensure that the courts’ approach to disruptive protest, including any sentences imposed, does not contribute to the restriction of the civic space.

The paper can be downloaded on English (pdf) and French (pdf).

  • Killing_Spark@feddit.deEnglish
    6·
    10 months ago

    seems like excuse for violence too me

    Just because some form of argument can be used to try and justify violence does not mean it is a bad argument.

    and how people talk now it has impact

    It does, but it doesn’t seem to be enough.

    but crazy people lessen that impact.

    This has been thrown around as some kind of fact for a long time, especially with the protests of the “Letzte Generation” in germany, a specifically non-violent protest group, that blockaded highways. I have never seen convincing data that this protest has affected the populations position on climate policy. There was broad disagreement with their form of protest and the two get mixed up in discussions a lot.

    • beaxingu@kbin.run
      15·
      10 months ago

      doing more extreme protests only work if you are a respected group like lets say farmers even they don’t use violence. if you do more extreme protests when you are not respected at all and have not built up that respect doing extreme protests will only undermine you. and definitely if you look like a spoiled brat having a tether tantrum and then take the whole not having respect to begin with thing that is what kills a movement. that is why i very dislike groups like stop oil they undermine there own cause. and make it worse for everybody wanting to do more serious work.

      • Killing_Spark@feddit.deEnglish
        3·
        10 months ago

        even they don’t use violence

        I really don’t know why you keep bringing this strawman up. It is not what my point is about.

        for everybody wanting to do more serious work.

        The serious work alone will not convince the people either. The loud protests give a voice to the results of the serious work that would otherwise stay unheard.

        • beaxingu@kbin.run
          15·
          10 months ago

          you know the whole civility is bad thing. serious work by serious groups. loud protest only have impact if the people or groups doing them are taken seriously if not and people only see them as annoyances. your loud protests are meaningless because the whole point is that people listen to you. and if this happens your movement is dead.

        • beaxingu@kbin.run
          15·
          10 months ago

          mostly they did not and most people where sympathetic to the farmers and it was still civil disobedience and well organized something environmental activists can learn from.

          • Random_German_Name@feddit.deEnglish
            11·
            10 months ago
            1. Obviously it was well organized. It isn‘t hard to organize if you have a powerful lobby, that is supporting your protest
            2. It doesn‘t matter, that the majority of farmers were peaceful. The majority of protesters during the G20 protests in Hamburg 2017 were peaceful as well. They were still beaten by police. Why should the farmers get a better treatment, than any leftist protest?
            3. The farmers in Germany were marching with literal neonazis. They delegitamized themself.
            4. Most people didn‘t give a fuck about the farmers until they started blocking roads. Thats when the public opinion turned against them.
            5. The farmers aren‘t all peaceful, as we have seen in Biberbach
            • beaxingu@kbin.run
              14·
              10 months ago

              farmers where beaten by police too. really your going with Nazi that really makes me take you more seriously. i also do not agree with everything that happened but i don’t need to bring up fucking Nazis. your 4 might be in your head because you needed to say Nazi and leftist . you seem to be mad that modern leftists are shit at protesting. maybe they should earn some respect like what the farmers have. its not only farmers that have a lobby .

              • Random_German_Name@feddit.deEnglish
                21·
                10 months ago

                Literally nobody outside of some telegram groups respects the current protests. And yes, there were Nazis at these protests without farmers taking issue with ist

                Where were farmers beaten by police for no reason?

                • beaxingu@kbin.run
                  13·
                  10 months ago

                  come on dude you are in the comments just like me if you want some sources you are doing it wrong because you did not give any yourself. so just stop with this tactic its just a distraction. these protests happened all over Europe and you just want to say nazi. farmers are just more respected maybe get better at that.