Injunction & Protestors

These actions often involve tactics such as “locking on,” obstructing access roads, and interfering with supply chains. The disruption caused can be significant, with protestors sometimes preventing operations for days.

While the police usually take action if protestors are obstructing a highway or committing aggravated trespass, their response can be slow or insufficient. It can be necessary to seek an urgent High Court injunction to prevent either anticipated or further disruption.

The legal landscape for these injunctions has shifted over recent years, with courts granting “newcomer” injunctions against persons unknown.

Key implications include:

• Pre-emptive injunctions can be granted against individuals not yet identified or present.
• These are particularly relevant for infrastructure operators facing threats of protest from groups who may not yet have arrived on site.
• Courts have allowed alternative methods of service, including QR codes and via reference to a webpage, to ensure injunctions are enforceable even against unidentified individuals.

Businesses are starting to take a more proactive approach to the problem so they can respond rapidly to prevent protestor action disrupting their business activities.

If you’re worried about protestors and the risk they pose to your business, we can help.

We’ll assist you to prepare a ‘Protestor Pack’ which contains all the documents necessary to seek an urgent court injunction. If an incident does occur, all you need to do is complete the documents with the details of your current situation. We can then quickly get to work on your behalf.

Our experienced team are used to seeking these orders and are familiar with the kind of protections the court will and won’t grant in this fast-moving area of law.