Scientists face trial in Paris over climate protest

Four scientists and activists from the groups ‘Scientifiques en rébellion’ and ‘Extinction Rebellion’ are scheduled to appear before the Paris Police Court on June 17, 2024. The trial concerns a civil disobedience action carried out in April 2022 at the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris to protest government inaction regarding the climate crisis.

The defendants are contesting fines issued following an occupation of the museum’s fossil gallery. This event marked the first organized act of civil disobedience by scientists in France.

This legal proceeding follows a previous trial in November involving eight other participants from the same movement, all of whom were acquitted by the court on January 15, 2024. During that earlier case, several scientific experts testified to the legitimacy of the protest.