UN expert condemns UK crackdown on environmental protest

UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders says he is seriously concerned about regressive new laws'

A severe crackdown on environmental protest in Britain with draconian" new laws, excessive restrictions on courtroom evidence and the use of civil injunctions is having a chilling impact on fundamental freedoms, the United Nations special rapporteur has said.

As the world faces a triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, environmental protesters were acting for the benefit of us all" and must be protected, Michel Forst, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, said on Tuesday.