UK Report Details Legal Changes Affecting Climate and Pro-Palestine Protesters

A report released on Tuesday examined changes in British law and court procedures applied to climate and pro-Palestine protesters since 2019. The document, titled Britain’s Political Prisoners, was produced by researchers at the Centre for Climate Crime and Climate Justice at Queen Mary University of London and the campaign group Defend Our Juries.

The report stated that two statutes, the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023, converted certain protest tactics into criminal offences carrying prison terms of up to ten years. Actions covered include blocking roads, locking on to infrastructure, and tunnelling under construction sites.

The report reviewed 249 protest-related cases and found that contempt-of-court proceedings were the most frequent route to imprisonment. Judges have issued civil injunctions sought by companies and public bodies that restrict protests near specific sites.

In 60 percent of the cases examined, the final sentence was shorter than the time the defendant had already spent in custody. Some Palestine Action defendants remained in pretrial detention for more than one year.

Crosland, director of Defend Our Juries, said the findings challenge Britain’s claims of ensuring democratic protections. The report traced the legal changes to demonstrations by groups including Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil, and Palestine Action targeting arms factories operated by Elbit Systems.

The report noted that judges have restricted defendants from presenting political motivations or references to Gaza or climate policy during trials.