Comprehension Quiz

9 questions

0/9

According to the article, what has Mary Lawlor observed during her mandate?

Declining numbers of climate protests worldwide

Governments quietly funding activist groups to avoid conflict

Most climate cases winning easily in court

A surge in attempts to smear and criminalize peaceful climate defenders

Which countries are named as places that also repress climate activists despite strong rights rhetoric?

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland

The UK, Germany, France, and the US

Brazil, India, China, and South Africa

Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece

What is a SLAPP as described here?

A police tactic used to disperse crowds at protests

A civil lawsuit used to exhaust and silence activists

A social media campaign to promote climate action

A new EU law restricting fossil-fuel ads

What happened to Just Stop Oil member Stephen Gingell?

He was jailed under a new UK public order law after a 30-minute slow-march

He was fined for throwing paint on a building

He was banned from social media for a year

He received community service for blocking a train

What pattern did the report highlight in the Line 3 and Dakota Access pipeline protests?

Courts immediately blocked both projects

Close collaboration between the companies involved and the police

Activists were granted government permits to protest

Use of only civil—not criminal—actions against protesters

What was the outcome of the French government’s attempt to shut down Les Soulèvements de la Terre?

The group accepted a government partnership

The decision was delayed for five years

The group rebranded to avoid the ban

The country’s highest administrative court overturned the effort

Which of the following charges are mentioned as being used against climate defenders?

Sedition, criminal defamation, terrorism, conspiracy, trespass, and public disorder

Only traffic fines and parking violations

Cybercrime and piracy alone

Tax evasion and money laundering

Where will Lawlor present her penultimate report “Tipping points” and when?

World Bank, 1 July

NATO, 30 September

Interpol, 10 December

UN General Assembly, 16 October

Best One-Sentence Summary

Many activists are turning violent, so governments must respond with tougher security laws to protect infrastructure.

A UN expert warns that peaceful climate defenders are increasingly smeared, criminalized, and linked to “terrorism,” with examples from the UK, US, and France showing a repressive blueprint taking shape.

New international courts will soon ban fossil-fuel projects, ending the need for street protests and civil disobedience.

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Discussion Questions

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If charges are often dismissed later, what does that say about the purpose of using them in the first place?

When governments praise human rights but restrict protest, which message should we believe—the words or the actions?

Is calling non-violent activism “terrorism” a security warning—or a strategy to scare the public? What evidence would you need to decide?

Where is the line between “public order” and “silencing critics”? Who should draw that line, and how?

If companies and police work closely during protests, who checks that power? What would real oversight look like?

Do disruptive tactics help or hurt climate campaigns when “normal” methods fail? Why?

What basic rights (food, water, health, life, environment) are at stake if protests are shut down?

My Notes

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“Road to Destruction?”—UN Expert Says Peaceful Climate Activists Are Being Treated Like Criminals

October 30, 2025•5 min read•Environmental•Intermediate