Extinction Rebellion’s application for Judicial Review has been scheduled for an urgent day-long hearing in the High Court on Thursday 24 October from 10.30am. Baroness Jenny Jones, Caroline Lucas MP, Clive Lewis MP, David Drew MP, Ellie Chowns MEP, George Monbiot, and Adam Allnut are bringing the action on behalf of Extinction Rebellion to challenge the police’s blanket ban on our protests across the whole of London for the remainder of the week.

We will be arguing that the ban is an unprecedented and unlawful curtailment of the right to protest which risks criminalising those who want to call attention to the climate and ecological emergency. Extinction Rebellion hopes that the two senior High Court judges who will rule on the case next week will quash the police’s decision as unlawful.

While we are disappointed that the Court is not able to hear the application sooner – particularly given the immediate risk of people being unlawfully arrested for peaceful, non-violent protest – we nonetheless look forward to putting forward our arguments next week.