Rise in environmental activist cases

A total of 358 legal cases involving environmental activists have been documented since 2020, according to the Movement for the Support of Environmental Defenders (MSDE). These cases include a variety of legal proceedings across different types of courts.

Platform aids activists in legal battles

The platform Relaxes pour le vivant, created with Data For Good, compiles court decisions to provide "strong arguments before judges" for activists facing legal proceedings. It serves as a resource for legal teams and researchers working on environmental cases.

Activist detained in Paris demonstration

An environmental activist from Extinction Rebellion was detained during a demonstration in front of Amundi's offices in Paris on May 24, 2024. This incident is one of many that have contributed to the growing number of legal cases involving environmental activists.

Increase in court hearings over time

According to data collected by MSDE, the courts dedicated 8 hearings in first instance in 2020, 39 in 2023, and 80 in 2025. Between January 1, 2020, and October 14, 2026, 358 court cases involved offenses attributed to environmental activists.

MSDE documents judicial procedures

Founded in 2023, the association MSDE travels to courts to document the judicial procedures targeting environmental activists. They record details such as the chronology of cases, the groups involved, and the outcomes of legal proceedings.

Convictions show growing trend

The figures demonstrate the reality of this repression: while 7 convictions were pronounced against environmental activists in 2020, they were 14 in 2021, 9 in 2022, 27 in 2023, 36 in 2024, 38 in 2025. This indicates an increasing number of legal actions against environmental activists over time.

Geographic distribution of trials

The association has also cataloged the cities where activists are being tried. From 2020 to 2026, 59 hearings took place in Paris, 47 in Castres, 19 in Toulouse, and 10 in Lyon. These locations are often associated with significant environmental mobilizations.

Correlation with major environmental struggles

"We observe that repression is correlated with major mobilizations or struggles. In Castres and Toulouse, these trials mainly concern the A69," explains Pierre, also a member of MSDE. The A69 is a highway that has been the focus of several environmental protests.

Legal resource highlights acquittals

Assistance for activists being prosecuted is provided through the information cataloged on Relaxes pour le vivant. It details the number and reasons for convictions and acquittals, the details of the sentences, and the analysis of judicial decisions.

Use of past cases in legal arguments

"These are strong arguments before judges: an acquittal in Lyon can support the argumentation of a hearing in Paris," notes Camille. The platform is used to build legal strategies by referencing similar cases from different regions.

Prosecutions often result in light sentences

"The prosecutions are mainly initiated by the public prosecutor following arrests and result for many in acquittals and light sentences," details Pierre. This suggests that many legal actions against activists do not lead to severe consequences.

Trend toward more acquittals

The data seem to show a trend toward an increase in the number of acquittals for uncharacterized offenses in proportion to the total number of acquittals in recent years. This highlights that an increasing number of activists are being prosecuted for facts that are insufficiently characterized, which can constitute abusive prosecutions.

Access limited to legal professionals

Access to Relaxes pour le vivant is initially restricted to lawyers, legal teams of activist groups, and researchers who request access. The decisions are anonymized, but it is not trivial to make these judicial decisions freely accessible.

Future use in annual reports

"In the long term, our data will allow us to feed an annual report on repression," explains Camille. This data will be used to analyze trends and provide insights into the legal challenges faced by environmental activists.