“XR protesters have been raising the alarm about the climate crisis. We need to listen to that alarm, not outlaw it.”

by Andrea Germanos, staff writer for Common Dreams

“This is about fundamental, democratic rights,” said Ellie Chowns, a Green MEP arrested while the ban was in place. The “right to assembly and public protest are cornerstones of a functioning demcoracy.””XR protesters have been raising the alarm about the climate crisis. We need to listen to that alarm, not outlaw it.” Chowns also called on politicians to “take action that is as urgent as the climate crisis itself.”

The court’s ruling was also welcomed by Amnesty International, which called the ban “unlawful and a complete overstep.”

“The sweeping, ill-defined, and capital-wide ban sent the chilling message that basic freedoms in this country can be set aside when the authorities choose to do so,” said Amnesty International U.K. director Kate Allen.

“People are understandably deeply concerned at a lack of government action to tackle the climate crisis,” Allen said, “and the authorities should be ensuring that those demanding climate justice are able to participate in non-violent protests.”

According to XR, the several hundred protesters who were arrested under the ban may now sue for wrongful arrest and compensation.

Given that lawmakers have yet to act with the urgency XR says the climate crisis demands, the group stressed Wednesday that the “fight continues.”

Protests, as XR lawyer Jules Carey said Wednesday outside the Royal Court of Justice, “aren’t likely to stop anytime soon.”