Hodge Jones & Allen Protest Team Raise Concerns About Treatment Of Peaceful Protestors With UN
Members of the Hodge Jones & Allen protest team raised concerns about the treatment of peaceful protestors in the UK when they met with the UN Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders yesterday.
The UN Special Rapporteur, Michel Forst, is having a series of meetings in a follow up to his visit to the UK on 10-12 January 2024.
These meetings will include discussions with activists, lawyers and NGOs including representatives from Greenpeace UK, Amnesty International UK, Liberty, Friends of the Earth, Wildlife Trusts, Wildlife and Countryside Links, CPRE, Right to Roam, Justice and Not 1 More.
During his last visit, Mr Forst had spoken of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
He said that environmental defenders were acting for the benefit of us all and that it was therefore imperative that we ensure that they are not subject to persecution, penalisation or harassment.
Since that visit, the crackdown on peaceful protest has continued, including the Court of Appeal endorsing the longest ever prison sentences for peaceful protestors in the UK.
Raj Chada, head of criminal defence at Hodge Jones & Allen, said: “It is important that we put forward our concerns to an independent and properly mandated UN Special Rapporteur.
“We remain concerned that the UK has one of the most oppressive frameworks to deal with environmental protestors in Europe.”
