France's top administrative court on Thursday, November 9, struck down a government ban on an activist climate group that clashed with police around a March 25 demonstration that left two protestors in a coma. President Emmanuel Macron's government shut down the Les Soulèvements de la Terre (SLT) coalition, which was behind the protests, on June 21, saying it incited violence by encouraging demonstrators to come equipped with metal bars and iron petanque balls.
The Council of State, ruling on an appeal brought by SLT, struck out the government's dissolution. The council, which rules on the legality of decisions taken by the government and public bodies, ruled that "no incitement to violence against people could be blamed on Les Soulèvements de la Terre."
The Council of State said the decision to shut down a group or association was an infringement of the freedom of association. Such a move was only justified if the group incited violence against people or property, sought to excuse violent actions, or failed to moderate incitement to violence on social networks, it said. While adding that the group had engaged in "provocations and violence involving property," it said the decision by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin to ban SLT was not "suitable, necessary or proportional to the gravity of the disruption likely to be caused to public order."
An estimated 6,000 protesters had taken part in the March 25 demonstration over plans to build one of a series of new reservoirs near Sainte-Soline in western France. The protest quickly turned into pitched battles with the around 3,000 police officers deployed to defend the site. Two protesters spent several weeks in a coma, while around 30 officers were injured. Rights groups accused the police of excessive force.
Farmers say the reservoirs will help them survive increasingly frequent droughts. But critics say they will penalize small producers and the ecosystem.
SLT is part of a new wave of more radical climate activist groups, including Extinction Rebellion, that say direct action is needed in response to insufficient efforts to combat climate change. SLT welcomed its unbanning on X, formerly Twitter, telling Darmanin to "take that!"
The Council of State did, however, uphold the combative minister's decision to use new powers to outlaw three other groups: One from the far right (l’Alvarium), one from the far left (Lyon and Surroundings Antifascist Group, GALE) and another accused of spreading hatred in the name of fighting anti-Muslim sentiment (Coordination against Racism and Islamophobia, CRI).