A courageous and indispensable verdict for those who already see it serving as an example for justices from all over the world. Irresponsible in that it opens a breach to future actions of civil disobedience and that it would violate the separation of powers for others. The judgment, delivered on Monday, brings everyone together at least on one point: in Switzerland, it is historic. Beyond our borders, it has at least one precedent.
To read: Justice recognizes climate emergency
Last September, there too in the name of the climate emergency, a French court acquitted two activists tried for having taken down the portrait of Emmanuel Macron from the wall of a town hall. Invoking “the state of necessity” and the heavy symbolic charge of their action, the judge had released them. Reasoning and arguments very similar to Renens Monday afternoon. In essence, said the Lausanne Police Court, the “peaceful and kind-hearted” occupation of a Credit Suisse branch, pinned down for its investments in fossil fuels and their impact on the environment, did not weigh heavy in the face of the climate emergency. In both cases, to activate public opinion and attract media attention when traditional methods fail, climate activists have used the only effective method: shock action.
“The judgment brings everyone together at least on one point: in Switzerland, it is historic”
On the sidelines of these considerations, it is a strong pike that has not failed to bring justice to the public authorities. By denouncing “the long time of politics incompatible with the climate emergency” and its lack of reaction if not a few “insignificant or even soothing” positions, the president risks upsetting more than one. We are already seeing the argument that it is not for the judiciary to meddle in political processes. Supporters of the climate cause will retort that these “Old World” stances must be overcome. And will rely on the Dutch example, where the Hague Court of Appeal has just ruled that the state was acting illegally, urging it to step up its fight against global warming. The camps are not finished on the issue, but the fact is there: the state of the planet is invited to court. And marks a brilliant victory for the activists.
Created: 13.01.2020, 22h09
–
