New research from the University of Bristol reveals that climate activists in the UK are three times more likely to be arrested than the global average.
The study, led by Dr. Oscar Berglund, analyzed responses to climate protests in 15 countries and found that 17.2% of climate-related protests in the UK result in arrests, compared to the international average of 6.3%.
Australia had the highest arrest rate, with 20.1% of eco-protests leading to arrests. Norway follows closely at 14.5%, while the USA and Turkey also have relatively high arrest rates, at 10% and 8%, respectively.
In contrast, Germany and France are more permissive towards climate protests, with arrest rates of just 4.1% and 3.2%, respectively. However, lower arrest rates in some countries, such as Peru, have been linked to higher levels of police violence, with Peru reporting the highest incidence at 6.5%.
The UK has seen over 7,000 climate-related arrests since 2019, with Extinction Rebellion (XR) accounting for the majority. A freedom of information request to London’s Metropolitan Police revealed that between April 2019 and March 2023, 6,252 protest-related arrests were made in London alone. Of these, XR members were arrested 4,465 times, while Just Stop Oil activists faced 1,137 arrests. Nearly 3,000 of these arrests occurred during two major XR protests in 2019.
