Extinction Rebellion – Activists also convicted on appeal

– The activists were also sentenced on appeal

The fourteen members of the collective lost their appeal Thursday at the Cantonal Court. They were accused of having blocked an artery in Neuchâtel in 2020.

Posted today at 9:26 p.m.

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KEYSTONE/GAETAN BALLY

The 14 Extinction Rebellion activists, who had been sentenced on June 11, 2021 for having blocked one of the arteries of Neuchâtel for 75 minutes on March 5, 2020, lost their appeal before the Cantonal Court. The fines of 200 francs were confirmed.

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“There was no hearing for this judgment on appeal, because the Cantonal Court considered that it was a minor matter”, explained a person from the collective to Keystone-ATS. The judgment was sent in writing at the beginning of the week to the lawyers of the activists, who challenged their conviction by invoking the right to demonstrate.

The Neuchâtel Cantonal Court found the appeal unfounded and charged the appellants with the costs of 1,600 francs. “The legal quibbles will not overcome the determination of the rebels who reserve the possibility of appealing to the Federal Court,” the group said in a press release.

Peaceful protest

During the hearing before the Neuchâtel Police Court, one of the two lawyers for the defendants, Michel Bise, felt that the police had made a mistake by not issuing a summons or an order to disperse. The judge considered that this argument did not hold, because the police had to react in a proportionate way in the context of a peaceful demonstration.

Compared to the lawful state of necessity linked to the climate emergency, the court had explained that it did not discern in what way the offense – blocking and demonstration without authorization – was necessary, “that is to say not only of nature to neutralize global warming, but still that it is the most appropriate means to achieve this objective, ”explained the judge.

“Climate denial”

After the verdict on appeal, the appellants considered “that justice at the Swiss level has clearly chosen its camp, that of climate denial and the repression of whistleblowers. Justice fails to fulfill its fundamental duty to preserve order and law by refusing to look beyond the end of its nose”.

“Alert the population on the dangers is not a crime. It is a civic duty. As long as justice continues to blindly apply unjust repression and not to consider the climate emergency as a reality, we will rebel”, added the collective.

ATS

Posted today at 9:26 p.m.

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