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The Line We Crossed

A British story of dissent, drawn from the frontlines of climate resistance. Through the experiences of those who stood in defiance, it traces the quiet unraveling of our protest rights.

The right to nonviolent protest is a fundamental pillar of democracy and enshrined in many laws to which the UK government are signatories. A nonviolent civil resistance group is demanding the UK government stop licensing new oil, gas and coal projects in the face of the climate emergency. For two years, filmmaker Liz Smith documented how the right to protest in the UK is under threat and how environmental defenders, in particular, are being targeted. The more they resist, the more the government clamps down on their right to protest and subjects them to arrests and harsh prison sentences.

THE LINE WE CROSSED challenges audiences to question what makes dissent effective and where the line of acceptability is, exposing the chilling effect of draconian laws being passed that affect the democratic rights of all British citizens. Are we at a tipping point of no return for our democratic rights as well as for the climate crisis?

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