Press release
We oppose Abusive Lawsuits against citizens fighting for the environment.
The Naxos Town Council has taken legal action against citizens of the “Save Naxos Beaches” movement.
This is yet another abusive SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) lawsuit whose sole purpose is to intimidate and harass those citizens who dare to claim respect for their places.
In the Cyclades, it is the fourth time in the last decade that active citizens with a particular activity around environmental protection issues have found themselves being prosecuted for this very activity, following lawsuits that have been filed:
- Against the citizens of Tinos for their resistance to the installation of wind turbines.
- To members of the Environmental Quality Observatory of Syros, who demand the protection of the natural environment from air and marine pollution from modern industrial activity
- Against the Association of Iosians, which has been trying for a decade to stop the plans of the big investor who has bought a third of the island to exploit it for tourism.
As the Network for Sustainable Cyclades,
- we support the people who are fighting for their place, reminding and emphasizing that freedom of speech and the action of active citizens is a fundamental element of democracy.
- we support the citizens of Naxos in their struggle for a clean environment and the safeguarding of public health.
- We request that the Municipality of Naxos and Small Cyclades withdraw the intimidating, abusive lawsuit against the citizens. Citizen participation in public debate is not only a right but also an obligation of citizens, which local government must protect and encourage, not persecute.
Network for Sustainable Cyclades
