Police Pepper Spray Critics Win, But Climate Gets Fried
While activists receive some legal redress for their burning eyes, the systems they protest remain unchallenged. The 2019 anti-mining demonstration targeted an industry that, despite winning lawsuits about capsicum spray, continues to be massively subsidized and legally protected by the very same governments presiding over climate collapse. One might recall that while police budgets expand
globally, often with state-of-the-art 'crowd control' tech, funding for renewable energy infrastructure or climate adaptation often stalls, conveniently, in legislative quagmires. This 'win' feels like a symbolic pat on the head while the house burns down. How many court victories against minor assault charges will it take before the core issue—the systemic destruction of the planet for profit—is
addressed? Or is the true purpose merely to refine the methods of suppression just enough to stay 'legally compliant' while the real violence unfolds?