In recent years we have been facing ever deepening interconnected crises – growing inequality, persisting discrimination, rise of armed conflicts, climate breakdown, forced migration and the cost of living crisis. In response, people are taking to the streets to call out the false solutions, hypocrisy and lack of action by the European authorities and elites, and to demand accountability from those in power.

However, state authorities feel threatened by the power of protests. They too often respond by shaming, stigmatizing and cracking down on peaceful protesters instead of acting on the issues at hand. State authorities are suppressing protests´ organizers and participants by implementing an expanding array of anti-protest laws and measures to crackdown on organized or spontaneous dissent. Authorities engage in aggressive policing, employ excessive and unnecessary force against peaceful protesters. They increasingly use surveillance technology to monitor individuals and groups, instilling heightened fear among people.

That is why it is so important to build resilience of activist groups – part of it includes strengthening our legal capacities.