In the face of environmental activism, the government is tightening its response

Not a day goes by when young activists don’t stage spectacular operations, block traffic or occupy places symbolic of what they say is a climate emergency. It also leads to police intervention that has to adapt to this frequency and multiplicity of targets. “Ecoactivism is very diverse. There is a non-violent edge that we encounter almost every day in Paris today, and we must be careful that our response is proportionate.says Divisional Commissioner Olivier Bagusse, Head of the CRS Delegation for the Paris Conurbation.

Still, activists are outraged — many of them taking their first military steps — that the crackdown is severe. Police detention is related: in some cases twelve, even twenty hours or more. A strategy aimed at discouraging the less experienced. Activists are therefore ready for the prospect of being taken on board, especially since they are not trying to escape and operate without their faces.

For Marie Doze, a Paris bar lawyer who often defends these activists, especially Greenpeace, “We are indeed witnessing an increase in judicial knowledge, which is very often inappropriate, especially since these actions are not criminal offenses and are more punitive than remedial.”

“radicalization”

In a study to be published in connection with the roundtable, “Environmental Disobedience and the Repression of Activism,” to be held in Paris on November 22, the authors examine the fate of this defiance by the courts. According to these academics from Sciences Po Law School, “Persecutions for small facts are more and more frequent”such as tags or displays as well “Police Arrest for Demonstration”. Sanctions, including financial ones, will be higher. “Involving a person in a fairly lengthy legal process is a strong individual psychological burden that may interfere with commitment.”Aurelien Bouiad, teacher-researcher who coordinated the study, summarizes.

On the state side, we want to distinguish between these militants who claim non-violence and the more experienced elements. “We increasingly see the radicalization of people who want to take action. There is a sympathetic protest phase, but beyond that we see a recovery by much more violent people, more radical, more political activists who reject authority and move easily from one fight to another.We are checking the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“The problem is the coexistence between this non-violent but defined boundary that can prevent crime and the new ‘green black blocs’, as we saw in the clashes in Saint-Soulin. [lors d’une manifestation, le 29 octobre, contre une méga-bassine dans les Deux-Sèvres] »Analyzes Olivier Bagus.

In the face of a resurgence of environmental activism, authorities say they are stepping up intelligence work: “The idea is to work on groups, on individuals, to prevent them from taking action.”“, the ministry said. Fear that these movements say “low intensity” become radicalized. “And it’s going to get harder as we prepare for the 2024 Paris Olympics.”