Yesterday, we covered a new report from Greenpeace, which details the police violence against climate activists that the fossil fuel industry is sponsoring. Today, we're looking at the report's findings on how the industry is working across the country to further criminalize and deter climate activism.
In addition to partnering with police to clamp down on protests, the fossil fuel industry is also wielding its power through lobbying and donations. As a result, 18 states have passed extreme anti-protest laws, just since 2016, that impose harsh penalties like years-long imprisonment for protest-related actions such as trespassing.
Top contributors to state anti-protest bill sponsors include fossil fuel giants like Duke Energy, Marathon Petroleum, and Koch Industries, and companies like ExxonMobil, Enbridge, and Chevron have heavily lobbied in favor of these draconian laws.
In fact, nine out of ten of the companies that lobbied the most for anti-protest laws are part of the fossil fuel industry. (The tenth company is AT&T.)
Furthermore, the fossil fuel industry has filed numerous strategic lawsuits against public participation, or SLAPPs. These frivolous lawsuits are intended to waste organizations’ time and money and intimidate environmental advocates from exercising their First Amendment right to free speech.
Since 2010, 86 out of 116 SLAPPs and judicial harassment claims came from companies like Exxon and Chevron that have lobbied for anti-protest laws, demonstrating the significant overlap in the actors deploying these harmful strategies.
This year, the fossil fuel industry has continued to use these disturbing tactics. The report explains, “2023 has been marked by the broadening use of aggressive prosecutorial and civil litigation claims against protesters, violent policing against ‘Stop Cop City’ protesters in Georgia, and the continuing spread of anti-protest laws.”
In response to these horrific industry tactics, Greenpeace sets forth several key recommendations. First, the report advocates for the repeal of anti-protest laws and the creation of “local, state, and federal resolutions affirming all Americans’ right to protest, free from threats of invasive surveillance, and physical and legal aggression.”
Greenpeace also emphasizes the need for strong anti-SLAPP legislation that provides a mechanism for cases to be thrown out earlier and forces those filing the suits to pay for the legal fees if the case is determined to be a SLAPP.
In addition to its recommendation to end the use of police surveillance and injury-prone tactics against peaceful protesters, the report calls for a reaffirmation of Indigenous sovereignty with compensation for human rights violations, stands in support of the Climate Equity Act and the Environmental Justice for All Act, and advocates for the phaseout of fossil fuel production.
The fossil fuel industry is clearly committed to attacking both the climate and climate activists, and it will take serious organized action to stop the industry, safeguard our right to protest, and protect the ecosystems that sustain us. The fact that the industry has resorted to such vile tactics proves that climate protests and organized activism are effective, genuine threats to polluters, so don’t let the fossil fuel industry intimidate you into silence. #ProtectTheProtest!