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Victory for Protest Rights as Supreme Court Rejects Public Nuisance Appeal

A Supreme Court ruling today (14/07/26) [1] upheld the acquittals of six anti-dairy campaigners who disrupted dairy giant Müller’s Droitwich site in 2022. Animal Rising argues the decision marks a crucial victory for protest rights in the UK, setting a precedent that public nuisance laws cannot be used sweepingly to prevent peaceful protest.


[The defendants outside court in May 2025]


  • In September 2022, Animal Rising (then Animal Rebellion) launched a two-week campaign of protest against dairy giants Arla and Müller, which included lorry blockades and road disruptions, sparking national debate and supermarket milk shortages. [2]

  • Six defendants were initially acquitted of public nuisance charges in May 2025, after a judge ruled the prosecution failed to prove their actions obstructed the public’s rights at large. An appeal by the CPS was approved, but this decision was subsequently appealed by the defendants and escalated to the Supreme Court, leading to a hearing which took place on 21/04/26.

  • The defendant’s acquittal was upheld today by the Supreme Court, setting a vital precedent against the misuse of public nuisance laws.


Statement from Claudia Penna Rojas, Animal Rising Spokesperson:


"Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a resounding victory for the right to protest and a decisive rejection of the prosecution’s attempt to criminalise peaceful campaigners. This decision affirms that public nuisance laws cannot be stretched to silence dissent or target those exposing systemic harm.
“This ruling sends a clear message: the right to expose injustice and challenge powerful industries must be protected. Almost 200 people took a stand against the dairy industry in 2022 — an industry built on cruelty, environmental destruction, and which causes climate chaos.  Speaking out against these injustices is not a crime but a moral necessity. ”

The protest was part of Animal Rising’s "Stop the Supply" campaign, which highlighted the dairy industry’s role in climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and animal suffering. A 2023 Oxford University study confirmed that a plant-based diet has the lowest environmental impact across all key metrics, including emissions, land use, and water consumption. [3]

ENDS

Word count: 339


About Animal Rising


The group has used a variety of civil disobedience and nonviolent direct action tactics, notably blockading McDonald's distribution centres in May 2021, blockading dairy industry sites in September 2022, rescuing 23 beagle puppies from the animal testing industry in 2022, delaying the Grand National race in 2023, rescuing lambs belonging to King Charles III in May 2023, and carrying out the UK’s largest undercover farm investigation in 2024.


High-quality pictures and videos:  https://show.pics.io/animal-rising-breaking-news 

All images and videos in this file, on our social media, and website can be used with credit to Animal Rising under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of reporting.

For more information or further comments, please contact: +44 1225 29 6691 | press@animalrising.org


Notes to Editors



 
 
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