A stringent crackdown on environmental protests in the United Kingdom, characterised by "draconian" new laws, excessive restrictions on courtroom evidence, and the use of civil injunctions, is casting a chilling effect on fundamental freedoms, according to a United Nations expert.
In the face of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, Michel Forst, the UN expert on environmental defenders, asserted that environmental protesters, acting for the "benefit of us all," must be safeguarded.
