Hodge Jones & Allen continue to act for clients arrested during the Extinction rebellion cases

Hodge Jones & Allen continue to act for a number of clients arrested during the Extinction rebellion cases. On Wednesday 10 April 2019 at City of London Magistrates, the Court agreed to adjourn one of those cases to August 2019 pending the outcome of an ongoing High Court challenge about charging decisions arising out of the Extinction Rebellion protests and noted that these cases raise serious issues regarding the rights of protester involved under the Human Rights Act. The City of London case related to a protest at Global Coal Management in London with regard to their involvement in the Phulbari Coal Project. This is an Open-pit coal mine project in Bangladesh that has been criticised by a group of independent UN experts. The Group noted that if opened, the proposed mine would immediately displace an estimated 50,000-130,000 people. It would extract up to 572 million tons of coal over the next 36 years from a site covering nearly 6000 hectares and destroy some 12,000 hectares of agricultural land.

HJA represent one of the protestors who glued themselves onto entrance doors of Global Coal management.

Raj Chada said “Our client did not cause nor intend to damage any property. She feels strongly that she was justified in doing what she did, bearing in mind the widescale destruction that this project will inflict, let alone the implications for climate change policy.”

The case has been adjourned to 5 August pending the High Court challenge.

Raj Chada is Head of the Protest and Human Rights Team at HJA Criminal Defence, and has acted in a number of cases where clients have claimed that they were justified in their direct action due to the clear and present danger of climate change. These cases include the “Heathrow 13 and Black lives Matter City Airport protests”