‘I felt this was an abuse of power’: the climate activist who took on the law and won

A judge threw out the case against UK climate activist Trudi Warner who held a sign on jurors’ rights. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Two days before Trudi Warner faced court under threat of a contempt of court prosecution, she fell off her bike and ruptured the tendons in her hand.

Now the hand is black and blue, tightly bandaged, and requires surgery. It is an indication that 69-year-old Warner, who spent her working life as a child social worker and has committed her retirement to climate action, is not as tough and unflappable as her demeanour suggests.