France - August 2023

The June 2023 ban of the environmental group Earth Uprisings (Les Soulèvements de la Terre) was temporarily lifted on 11 August by the Council of State, the highest administrative court. The Court ruled that the Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, who originally decreed the ban, did not provide enough evidence of incitement to violence to justify the ban and that disbanding the group restricted the activists’ freedom of association and assembly. The group was dissolved after Darmanin accused its activists of “ecoterrorism,” following protests against the construction of water reservoirs in March that resulted in violent clashes with the police. The Court is expected to issue a final ruling on the merits of the case in autumn. In the meantime, the group will be able to resume its activism.

Sources: International IDEA, Council of State, Le Monde, Politico