Extinction Rebellion has won a legal challenge in London's High Court against a police-imposed blanket ban on the group's protests. Judges said separate gatherings could not be defined as a single "public assembly."
Image: AFP/I. Infantes
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Extinction Rebellion won a High Court challenge on Wednesday against London's Metropolitan Police.
Last month authorities banned the environmental activists from protests across the British capital, prohibiting two or more people from participating in demonstrations dubbed the "autumn uprising."
However, judges have now ruled that decision "unlawful."
Mr Justice Dingemans said: "Separate gatherings, separated both in time and by many miles, even if coordinated under the umbrella of one body, are not a public assembly within the meaning of ... the act."
"The Extinction Rebellion autumn uprising was not therefore a public assembly … therefore the decision to impose the condition was unlawful because there was no power to impose it under … the act."
Green Party MEP Ellie Chowns, who herself was arrested during the protests, described it as an "immense victory" and said that now it was time "to tackle the climate emergency with the urgency it deserves."
London police made 1,457 Extinction Rebellion related arrests during last month's week-long protests. The climate change group said similar numbers of people had been detained in some 20 cities across the globe. Events took place in countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Extinction Rebellion protests go global
The activist group organized worldwide protests on Monday to force radical action on climate change. Police arrested hundreds of protesters for disrupting traffic or violating bans on demonstrations.
Image: picture-alliance/PA Wire/V. Jones
London, UK
Police arrested 217 people in London on Monday. Extinction Rebellion protesters blocked traffic and glued themselves to cars. Sarah Lasenby, an 81-year-old retired social worker among the arrested, told the Associated Press, "It is imperative the government should take serious actions and put pressure on other states and global powers to radically reduce the use of fossil fuels."
Image: picture-alliance/AP/J. Brady
New York City, US
Protesters in New York City doused the famous statue of the bull near Wall Street with blood and staged a "die-in" in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Police arrested around a dozen demonstrators.
Image: Reuters/M. Segar
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
More than 100 people were arrested in Amsterdam after blocking a road in front of the Rijksmuseum. The city had banned the activists from protesting there, but demonstrators went ahead with the protest anyway. One poster read, "SORRY that we blocked the road, but this is an emergency."
Image: Imago-Images/Hollandse Hoogte/S. Joosten
Sydney, Australia
Hundreds of people staged a sit-in on a busy road in Sydney before the police began making arrests. Activist Jane Morton told AFP, "we have tried petitions, lobbying and marches, and now time is running out." Australia's conservative government has been reluctant to improve environmental policy, choosing instead to support the continued exporting of coal.
Image: Getty Images/L. Maree Williams
Dublin, Ireland
With a march through Dublin, Extinction Rebellion demonstrators in Ireland kicked off a "week of action" calling for a greater response to climate change. Protesters held a mock funeral for the planet and parked a pink yacht in front of Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's office.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/N. Carson
Berlin, Germany
Around 1,000 protesters in Berlin blocked the Grosser Stern, a roundabout in the middle of the German capital. 300 more blocked a central square with couches, tables, chairs, and flower pots. In total, over 3,000 people joined demonstrations in Berlin. The protests come as the German government is on the brink of passing a climate bill that many have criticized for being too weak.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Sohn
Paris, France
In central Paris, around 1,000 protesters blocked the area around Chatalet. Some chained themselves to barrels while others swore to stay there overnight in makeshift tents. Protesters waved banners with slogans like "Burn capitalism, not petrol."
