French Court Suspends Ban on Climate Movement Accused of "Ecoterrorism"

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had ordered the activist group to be disbanded after violence at water reservoir protests.

France's Council of State suspended the government's decision to disband a climate activist movement following clashes with police during protests held by climate activists earlier this year.

France's Council of State ruled that the disbanding order would restrict the activists' freedom of assembly, stating that the Ministry of the Interior did not provide enough evidence to back up its claim that the activists were inciting violence.

"Neither the documents in the file, nor the discussions at the hearing, make it possible to consider that the grouping in any way endorses violent acts against individuals," the court said in a statement.

Protests launched in March by the leaderless group Les Soulèvements de la Terre ("Earth's Uprisings") against the construction of large water reservoirs led to violent clashes with police that left hundreds injured, two of whom fell into a coma.

Following the incidents, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin ordered the group to be disbanded, alleging that the activists were inciting "ecoterrorism" across the country, and 18 people were arrested.

With the support of the French Greens and the far-left party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), the climate movement decided to challenge the order in court, arguing that the disbanding order hampered their freedom of assembly and expression.

The court's decision is a blow to Darmanin, as it means the activists can continue to organize demonstrations across the country.

However, the ruling is only the first step in a longer legal procedure, as it temporarily suspends the government's disbanding order until the court examines the merits of the case.

The court is expected to give its final decision in the coming months on whether the group has been inciting violence and seriously disturbing public order, as argued by the Ministry of the Interior, and should therefore be disbanded.

French parliamentarian Sacha Houlié, a member of President Emmanuel Macron's majority party Renaissance, stressed that the court's decision "in no way legitimizes past or future violent actions."

The activist group, founded in 2021 and made up of close to 200 local groups, has more than 150,000 supporters. The group's lack of a clear leadership structure and the fact that it is not officially registered as an association or a nonprofit organization make it difficult to disband.

Les Soulèvements de la Terre has also staged protests targeting other large infrastructure projects such as highways, railways and cement factories over their alleged negative environmental impact.

Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens in France, welcomed the ruling and argued that the French government should address the country's water scarcity problem rather than attack the activists ringing the alarm bell about it.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, former leader of La France Insoumise, said the court decision shows that "the legitimacy of civil disobedience is gaining ground" in the country.

Source:Politico

This news article was translated into Turkish by Oğuzhan Özkurt.