THE CRIMINALISATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM IN EUROPE
THE CRIMINALISATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM IN EUROPE

Summary/Abstract: In this text, I briefly analyse the ways in which environmental activism is being criminalised and treated as terrorism. I will illustrate the text with instances of such treatment from Romania, Italy, France, Greece, the UK and the US. Such a long list of examples is needed in order to argue that the criminalisation of environmental activism is far from being an isolated aspect of one government’s policy. It is part of a global trend whereby the contemporary capitalist state is repressing any significant interference in its strategic alliance with multinational companies. It is also part of a global trend in which governments articulate certain forms of civil disobedience as security threats for the infrastructure of the state. In this process, the “terrorist” label functions as the most important alarm that justifies a host of heavy repressive measures against environmental activists. The label of “eco-terrorism” plays a crucial role in cracking down on any form of radical dissent towards the activity of big companies.

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