Draconian measures against activists and groups in Western Europe are increasing. In Eastern Europe, we are witnessing huge police brutality at Serbian protests, where more than a million people took a stand against the Vucic government recently. Some key news pieces this week as well as resources and invitations to webinars you could join to push back. Take a look.

The goal of this monthly bulletin is to gather some of the many court cases, calls for solidarity and resources, or trainings across Europe. Help us spread the word and ask your friends to sign up here.

NB: We know this is only a small selection, if you have any news, solidarity call out or resource you want us to include in the next bulletin – don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected] 

NEWS & COURT CASES

Bulgaria

A Bulgarian activist living in the coal region was attacked over the  weekend. Her house and car were damaged after she published some important information related to the connections between a coal business mogul and a politician in the local municipality. Read more

UK

Thousands defy the protest ban over the weekend at the Defend our Juries protest in solidarity with Palestine with nearly 900 arrests by UK police.. Before the demo, seven key Defend Our Juries spokespeople have been charged under s.12 of the Terrorism Act for speaking on open calls including dawn raids on their homes.
“Amnesty International deployed observers to the protest, and police claims that the protest turned violent are a misrepresentation. Our observers witnessed the Defend Our Juries protest being entirely peaceful.“

Read more on:  Defend our Juries Instagram Amnesty UK PR, and see a new banksy unveiled depicting a judge beating a helpless protester with a gavel.

Netherlands

The Dutch government has submitted a draft bill that would make ‘glorifying terrorism and publicly expressing support for terrorist organisations’ a criminal offence. The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO) has serious objections to both the content and the repercussions of this proposed legislation and has recorded these in a response to the online consultation(opens in new window) . In short, we advocate for withdrawing this unnecessary, vague and dangerous bill. Read more

Belgium 

The Belgian government is pushing a law that could let a minister ban and criminalise so-called ‘radical organisations’ without a judge’s approval, specifically targeting groups fighting for climate justice and Palestinian liberation. Under the guise of protecting national security and stopping extremism, this is a direct attack on our basic rights to free speech and free assembly. Read more

Serbia

On 8 September, police officers used violence against demonstrators during a march led by students in Belgrade. Some protesters reported being physically and sexually harassed, and tear gas and rubber bullets were used against them. Read more.

RESOURCES & EVENTS

• Which governments really want to StopSLAPPs? Find out now! Discover the Anti-SLAPP Monitor here The Monitor sheds light on how European countries are turning anti-SLAPP protections into national law – showing clearly where progress is happening, where efforts are stalling, and where more work is needed.

• Save the Date – Protecting the Messengers: What Every Civil Society Organisation Needs to Know About Whistleblower Protection. Civil society organisations are vital allies for whistleblowers – yet many are not fully aware of their role under the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, 12 September 2025 | 14:00 – 15:15 CEST | Online, Registration

• Europe Calling ‘A New Environmental (Criminal) Law – for Germany, Europe and the World’. For the first time since the 1980s, German environmental criminal law is set to be reformed, this time within the EU framework and with a major impact on international law. This is a historic opportunity for nature conservation and climate protection that we should not miss! Registration

• New article summarizing the state of criminalization of environmental protest:
  “Driven by a combination of state and corporate actors, the repression of climate and environmental protest is a truly worldwide phenomenon that takes place across the Global North and South. The article first identifies five forms of criminalization and repression. These include using new legal measures, such as anti-protest laws, or misusing existing legislation to treat activists as terrorists or organized crime syndicates, as well as changing judicial processes to make sentences more likely. They also include a range of policing practices from legal (arrests) to extralegal (harassment and infiltration) and criminal (murder). These forms of repression are in turn fueled by the vilification of activists.”