State Attorney General’s Office adds youth climate activist groups to a new report, detailing their actions on pages 481 and 482. The groups Extinction Rebellion and Futuro Vegetal are discussed under the headings of terrorism and radical environmentalism, as explained by Efe Verde. In recent months, these organizations have become more visible in climate protests, including direct acts against high-emission targets such as private jets and mega-yachts.
In the 2022 report presented at the start of the judicial year, dated Thursday, arrests numbering in the double digits were recorded against environmental activists for actions ranging from unlawful meetings and roadblocks to damage of property, both public and private, and publications that claimed such damages.
The prosecutor’s office highlighted several points in the report: an increased presence of Futuro Vegetal in sabotage actions, with a focus on pressuring for climate action. The group advocates for removing subsidies to the meat industry and has sought to intensify its climate activism. Protests have grown in impact, including attempts to place messages on paintings in the Prado Museum.
“Although these activities began with Extinction Rebellion and its satellite groups, Futuro Vegetal has come to dominate many actions, especially within its campaign against the meat industry”, the document notes.
Activity is increasing
“Environmental groups, both globally and locally, have markedly expanded their activities—shifting from the usual non-violent civil disobedience to more expansive actions. Unlike their predecessors, these newer actions have not gained widespread public acceptance, neither in frequency nor in impact”, the Prosecutor’s Office states.
It also warns that the protests are likely to continue or even grow as more young people join these groups advocating sustainable societal models.
The report also notes the arrest of five Spaniards associated with the Scientific Rebellion in Bavaria; the activists face a demand for about 9,600 euros or 320 days in prison for each participant.
During the summer, Rebellion or Extinction protested private jets at Ibiza airport and splashed paint on the hull of a mega-yacht docked in Barcelona’s harbor, among other actions.
Through these acts, the group aims to spotlight the climate emergency facing the planet and calls on governments to regulate transportation methods with high climate footprints that are often used for luxury travel by the wealthy.
Full report: this document contains the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office statement.
Definition: Extinction Rebellion is described in public reference materials. Citation: Extinction Rebellion—Wikipedia
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Contact: environment department records are noted elsewhere; this article omits direct contact details.
[Citation: Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Extinction Rebellion and Futuro Vegetal reports, 2022–2023, for background on protests and legal actions.]