Finnish court dismisses charges against two climate protesters for resisting police orders

A Helsinki district court has dismissed charges of resisting police against two activists from the Elokapina (Extinction Rebellion Finland) movement, ruling that officers had not demonstrated lawful authority when ordering protesters to disperse.

The case concerned two demonstrators who blocked traffic on Mannerheimintie in central Helsinki on 26 May 2025 as part of a Sotekapina (Social Rebellion) protest. While the court confirmed that police had ordered the protest to end roughly 30 minutes after it began, it found no evidence that the activists’ continued presence posed an immediate threat to safety, property, or the environment—nor that they had acted in a fundamentally unlawful manner.

Under Finland’s Assembly Act, police may only terminate a gathering if lesser measures prove insufficient and if its continuation creates an urgent hazard. The court determined that police had not attempted to negotiate with protesters or explore alternative locations before issuing dispersal orders within what it considered a “relatively short” 30-minute window.

Judge Saara Hirvonen stated that the prosecution failed to prove the orders fell within police authority as required by criminal law. The ruling emphasised that freedom of assembly is a core democratic right, with authorities obliged to facilitate—rather than restrict—its exercise unless legally justified.

The verdict is not yet final. Elokapina described it as the first time a Finnish court has scrutinised police powers in such cases.