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A climate activist from Extinction Rebellion (XR) has been given a three-year suspended prison sentence and fined CHF1,000 ($1,070) for taking part in protest events in Lausanne.
The judge rejected the man’s freedom to demonstrate peacefully but without authorisation.
The trial of the 30-year-old man, co-founder of Lausanne Action Climat and XR Lausanne, was the first of a series of trials of around 200 climate activists who had carried out protest actions in Lausanne, canton Vaud, in 2019 and 2020. A dozen trials of around 60 defendants are planned by the end of the year.
The man had taken part in three protest actions – on a bridge, at a roundabout and at other intersections in the city centre – with the aim of blocking traffic. He was found guilty of obstructing services of general interest, obstructing an official act, violating traffic rules and violating police regulations, among other charges.
His lawyer said his client would appeal to the cantonal court. “We’re a little disappointed, but we weren’t under any illusions […] The issue of civil disobedience in the fight against global warming is blocked at the level of Swiss justice,” he said.