Hope fades on Copenhagen - Climate justice movement grows!

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Press release of the Climate Justice Action Network, 18.12.2009

Climate activists: “Hope fades on Copenhagen, but climate justice movement grows in strength”
At the end of their final meeting in Copenhagen, climate justice activists declared today that while the COP15 talks are in disarray,  demonstrators have successfully moved towards building a strong international movement for climate justice.

The week has seen mass protests by thousands of activists from southern and northern countries which culminated in the “Reclaim Power” action on Wednesday the 16th. This included a Peoples’ Assembly for climate justice.

Ed Thompson from Climate Justice Action commented: “Those people who have been silenced and shut out of the COP process from the start have had their voices heard in this forum outside the talks, setting a radically different agenda from rich countries and the corporate lobbyists inside.”

 

POLICE RESPONSE

Many accredited delegates were prevented from joining the Peoples’ Assembly by Danish police, who repelled the delegates with baton blows. Eriel Tchekwie Deranger from the Indigenous Environmental Network said: "The UN didn't want information from those on the inside being conveyed to those on the outside, especially by strong voices from the global South."
Nineteen climate justice activists remain under arrest. Three spokespeople for the group Climate Justice Action are charged with article 1034A, conspiracy to cause breach of the peace. A demonstration for the release of the climate justice prisoners is to  be held at 3pm today from Israel Plads to Parliament.

Natalie Swift from the group commented: “The police want to silence our voices and criminalise our activities – but the movement for climate justice just took a big step forward.”

 

http://climate-justice-action.org