Protest Injunctions Toolkit

Protest Injunctions
The use of Protest Injunctions has been on the rise in the UK since 2020; making protesting even more risky for those who choose to access their democratic rights.

An injunction is an order by the court to either do — or not do — something. When applied to protest, injunctions can make waiving a banner in the wrong place an imprisonable offence.

Injunctions have become the go-to method for both corporations and the government to protect their interests and shut down protest. Huge swathes of the UK are currently covered by these punitive court orders: including every Shell petrol garage, the entire strategic road network and a 160 mile stretch of the proposed HS2 line.

Whilst most protest cases are dealt with in the Criminal Court, Protest Injunctions are tried in the Civil Court and come with a different set of risks and procedures. With the number of protestors being sent to prison for breaching injunctions rising rapidly, it is vital that protestors are equipped with up-to-date tools to navigate these risks.

Protest Injunctions Toolkit:
Not1More has developed a toolkit for protestors, campaigners and local people who may be affected by Injunctions. Individuals and communities can use this resource to better understand the risks they face when protesting whilst there is an injunction in place.

The booklet outlines what injunctions are, the possible consequences of breaching an injunction and how to go about challenging applications for injunctions in court. It includes both strategies for staying safe when protesting and information on accessing support should you be accused of breaching an injunction.

Download the Toolkit:
Digital: To view or download a digital version of the booklet click here.
Print at Home: To download a version that's easy to print on a standard A4 printer click here. Remember to click the 'scale to fit paper' and 'double-sided' options in the print dialogue box to make sure none of the content is cropped and the pages flow properly. (Home printers can't print to the edge of the paper, so the booklet will print with a small white border.)

This is a freely accessible resource available under a Creative Commons License. This means that anyone is free to share, print and repost this content with appropriate credits.

We would like to thank everyone who has supported this work including Garden Court Chambers, Bindmans Solicitors, Robert Lizars and Greenpeace.

N1M has delivered workshops to protestors on our Injunctions Toolkit at Earth First! And DSEI Arms Fair week of action.

If you are a protest group who would like a workshop on protest injunctions, please get in touch using the contact form at the bottom of this page.