https://www.politico.eu/article/france-court-ban-climate-movement-protest-eco-terrorism/

Interior minister ordered activist group to be disbanded after violence at water reservoir protests.

A top French administrative court on Friday suspended the government’s decision to disband a climate activist movement following clashes with police during protests earlier this year.

France’s Council of State court ruled that the disbanding order would restrict the activists’ freedom of assembly and said the interior ministry did not provide enough evidence to back up its claim that the group is inciting violence.

“Neither the documents in the file, nor the discussions at the hearing, make it possible to consider that the grouping in any way endorses violent acts against individuals,” the court said in a statement.

Protests organized in March by the leaderless group Les Soulèvements de la Terre (“Earth’s uprisings”) against the construction of large water reservoirs led to violent clashes with police that left hundreds injured and two people in a coma.

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin ordered the group to be disbanded following the incident, alleging the activists were inciting “ecoterrorism” across the country, and 18 people were arrested.

The climate movement decided to challenge the order in court, with the support of the French Greens and the far-left party France Unbowed, arguing that the disbanding order hampered their freedom of assembly and expression.

The court’s decision is a blow to Darmanin, as it means the activists can continue to organize demonstrations across the country, including a two-week march from Saint-Soline to Paris starting August 18 to protest the government’s water management policy.

But the ruling is also only the first step in a longer legal procedure, as it temporarily suspends the government’s disbanding order until the court can look into the merits of the case.

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https://www.politico.eu/article/france-court-ban-climate-movement-protest-eco-terrorism/