Protest Rights: A Benchmark For Political Freedom with Raj Chada

Tuesday 21st March

In this presentation and discussion, solicitor Raj Chada of Hodge Jones and Allen, will be asking what the increasingly punitive approach being taken by the courts towards environmental protestors says about the broader political moment.

He will cite recent judgements preventing mention of the climate crisis as mitigation in jury trials, and the subsequent imprisonment of those who defy the ban, as well as the use of private injunctions by the government's Highways Agency to bypass the criminal courts and impose prison sentences for non-custodial criminal offences.

We’ll discuss whether the tougher stance being taken by the courts reflects a wider intolerance towards criticism by our current government, and how worried we should be. What it can reveal about the hidden values underpinning our criminal justice system. And what it would take for the judiciary to refocus its attention away from the mass prosecution of peaceful protestors, and instead, towards the corporations and institutions driving the climate and nature crises.

Kairos, The Bookroom, Essex Hall, 1-6 Essex Street, WC2R 3HY

6.30pm for drinks, talk starts at 7pm. A one pot vegetarian dish will be served at around 8pm, followed by discussion.

£5 members, £10 non-members. Includes food.