Climate Chaos – Page 77

New Zealand climate camp report-back

15 December 2009

15 December 2009
Preparations for New Zealand’s first Climate Camp are going well with people moving onto the site yesterday. Campers spent the day setting up some of the infrastructure required for the camp including the kitchen and storage tents. As the day progressed water lines could be seen snaking across the field, solar panels popped up next to tents and by the end of the day hot food was being prepared in the kitchen. The site is perfect, large trees dot the field, a river with swimming holes runs beside the camp and there is easy vehicular access.

Climate camp officially kicks off tomorrow (Wednesday) and will be going until the 21st. The camp will be a working demonstration of sustainable living with composting toilets and electricity generated on site. It will also host workshops on dozens of subjects as well as providing space for people to organise to take action against the root causes of climate change. The 21st will see campers taking to the streets in protests which will be organised at camp. As details of these protests are organised they will be distributed widely.

Feel free to bring anything you think might be useful – tools, bikes, koha to help pay for food and tents etc. The camp is being organised and run by participants so feel free to make it your own. If you want to run a workshop or spend a few hours in the kitchen that would be great! Weather has been a mixed bag over the past day so a good tent and heaps of warm clothes in case you get wet would be a really good idea. Food will be provided throughout the camp.

So if you have any spare time over the next week be it an afternoon or the entire camp pop on down to Moonshine park in Upper Hut from today.

For more information and regular updates on how the camp is going please visit climatecamp.org.nz

For the days photos please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/45638777@N08/

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Activists disrupt presentation by head of the New Zealand Carbon Exchange.
18 December 2009

This action coincides with New Zealand’s first climate camp in Upper Hut Wellington and pecedes mondays day of direct action against false solutions planned for Wellington on monday.

Yesterday members of Carbon Progress Response (CPR) disrupted a presentation by Stuart Frazer member of the New Zealand Carbon Exchange. The protesters disrupted the meeting at three points holding banners saying “Our Climate Not Your Business”, “Food Markets Not Carbon Markets” as well as talking about why carbon trading would not result in real action being taken to prevent climate change. During the presentation Stuart Frazer talked of how we need to stabilise atmospheric CO2 levels at 450ppm and global temperatures at a 2 degrees Celsius rise. The protesters pointed out that at these levels hundreds of millions of the worlds poor will be affected by drought and famine.

The action was taken in solidarity with the 100,000 protesters in Copenhagen as well as the 300 civil society delegates which walked out of the conference.

The CPR activists involved in the disruption explained their actions in this way “Carbon trading, also known as Cap and Trade, allows wealthy, industrialized countries and companies to keep polluting at the same rates by trading carbon credits amongst themselves. This allows business to continue as usual and encourages the disadvantaged and poor to sell their livelihoods for the gain of the rich.”

After the first two groups of protesters were removed around a dozen protesters held banners outside as well as using a siren to emphasis that we are facing a climate emergency. After the presentation had finished an activist slipped back into the meeting and disrupted it for a third time.

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21 December 2009
About 150 people took to the streets early this morning in Wellington as two banners were hung overnight in prominent locations. First stop was the Stock Exchange, to disrupt business as usual and tell the profiteers of climate change that our climate is not their business. While people entered the building a samba band, radical cheerleaders and a kids block were outside all main entrances. There was also a vocal bunch from a group claiming to be counter-protesting for the right to profit from exploiting the environment. Nine people were arrested in a sit-in blockade but later released with no charge.

After 9 arrests the protest took over Lampton Quay to go and support two climbers occupying the outside of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade with a giant banner denouncing Foterra for its part in New Zealand’s high emissions from agriculture. The action was taken to draw attention to the fact that 51% of New Zealand’s climate changing emissions come from agriculture. The protesters who were initially at the stock exchange, marched down Lambton Quay to support the two activists hanging off MFAT. The two climbers came down later and were not arrested. A Reclaim the Streets style protest continued for over half and hour.

The nine from earlier are coming out of the police station now, some or all without charge…

OUR CLIMATE IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS!!

http://climatecamp.org.nz/

Copenhagen failure sparks coal terminal blockade

Updates:

4:30pm:

The Kooragang rail line has just reopened, 7.5 hours after the blockade began

3:00pm:

Updates:

4:30pm:

The Kooragang rail line has just reopened, 7.5 hours after the blockade began

3:00pm:

Police have removed the final protester blockading a coal rail bridge in Newcastle, Australia, more than six hours after protesters shut down the coal delivery line into the world’s biggest coal port.

There were twenty three arrests in total at the protest, including an 86 year old man, a Buddhist priest , and an elected Newcastle city councillor.

12:00pm:

Police have made their first arrests at a dramatic coal train blockade on a bridge in Newcastle – the world’s biggest coal port.

Three hours into the blockade, police have arrested ten people who were sitting on the rail bridge and refusing to move. Protesters expect the blockade to last for the remainder of the day and perhaps into the night, with a further 15 people still blocking the bridge in difficult to remove positions.

Activists shut down the rail line at 9am this morning to protest the failure of the UN climate talks in Copenhagen to produce a just, effective, and legally binding treaty.

9am, Sunday 20th December 2009, Newcastle Australia: Forty climate activists have closed down the rail line into the world’s biggest coal port this morning, protesting the failure of the UN climate talks in Copenhagen to produce a just, effective, and legally binding treaty.

Twenty five of the diverse group – aged from 19 to 86 years and including a Buddhist priest, and an elected local councillor – are occupying a rail bridge in Newcastle, Australia, and refusing to leave. They have hung large banners reading “Greed wrecked Copenhagen: Now it’s up to us all”, and “You could have done something great.”

“The US, Australia, and other wealthy countries wrecked the Copenhagen climate talks,” said Steve Phillips, spokesperson for protest organisers Rising Tide Newcastle.

“They refused to lift their paltry greenhouse pollution targets to the levels required to avoid catastrophe. They could have done something great, but they failed. They let greed and self interest take precedence over the survival of life on earth, and we are here today to condemn them in the strongest possible terms.”

“We put world leaders on notice that their continuing failure to solve the climate crisis will result in widespread direct action against the causes of climate change, as we are seeing here today. We’re taking this action because we have had enough. We’ve seen too much grandstanding, and precious little action. We won’t continue to watch as people die, as species go extinct because of climate change, while emissions continue to rise. Politicians are failing to act against the causes of climate change, so we have come here today to take action ourselves. Newcastle coal exports are Australia’s single biggest contribution to the climate crisis.”

Newcastle City Councillor Michael Osborne is among those occupying the rail bridge. He explained why: “The people of Newcastle and the Hunter expected a fair, ambitious, and binding treaty at Copenhagen. They have been let down. Australia has failed to take leadership on this issue, so now people from the Hunter are taking it themselves. It is time we moved away from the fossil fuels that are causing this crisis and embraced the renewable industries that can solve it.”

“Our elected leaders are failing to take action against the coal industry that is causing the climate crisis, so we are taking that action ourselves,” concluded Steve Phillips.

Climate Camp Trafalgar- Ice Bear action & Copenhagen solidarity demo at Embassy & Copenhagen climate camp

As Copenhagen refuses entry to NGO’s and delegates from around the world, Climate Camp Trafalgar enter another day of solidarity action. This time, the target….. The London Ice Bear…. He just didn’t see it coming.

The team at Climate Camp Trafalgar square saw another day of actions this wednesday 16th. This time targeting a (corporate, aka M&S, sponsored http://plana.marksandspencer.com/we-are-doing/climate-change/stories/82/) ice sculpture.

The London Ice Bear ( http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/tackling_climate_change/the_london_ice_bear.cfm) has been attracting the attention of passers by in Trafalgar Square since friday the 11th of December. WWF (who are backing the ice bear) state, on their web page, that “everyone is invited to touch the ice sculpture. Artist Mark Coreth hopes that by touching this sculpture audiences can become sculptors themselves and make a direct connection with the bear and its icy Arctic kingdom, now under threat from man-made climate change.”

Here at Climate Camp, we took this statement rather literally. Though, obviously, we felt the need to direct the focus away from the rather sweeping statement of “man made” climate change and give it a shove towards the more fitting statement of corporate funded climate chaos.

At around 4pm on Wednesday the 15th of december, Campaigners took a banner stating “This isn’t just climate change, this is RBS funded climate chaos” and a kettle full of hot water (also branded with the RBS symbol) to the ice bear and proceeded to melt the bear with the ‘hot water of capitalism’.

Artist and sculptor Mark Coreth was more than please to see his project “interacted” with in this way.

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On Thursday December 17, approximately 50 demonstrators gathered outside the Danish Embassy in Sloane Street, London, to object to the Danish police’s harsh treatment of demonstrators at the COP Summit in Copenhagen.

After a spirited rally, demonstrators occupied the road in front of the embassy before leading a roaming traffic blockade up Sloane Street and onto Brompton Road, before eventually halting outside Harrods department store.

There were no arrests.

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A climate camp to occupy a vital location in Copenhagen was announced. 100 people with 4 pop-up tents gathered in a central square and decided to stay for two hours – full report and photos

Mainshill Celebrates 6th Month of Resistance! Come celebrate with us over Christmas!

Mainshill Solidarity Camp will celebrate its 6th month of resistance against Scottish Coal and fat cat interests this Friday the 18th of December!

The winter is drawing in, but the temporary autonomous tree sit at Mainshill is warmer and cosier than ever! With a new log cabin communal and wood burning stove there’s nowhere better to spend x-mas than in the ice encrusted woods in the company of deer, robins, and other wildlife whose habitat is slowly being deforested by Scottish Coal.

Join us this weekend to celebrate 6 months of occupation in resistance to a new open cast coal mine in an area already blighted by several such developments.

Directions

Buses run to Douglas from Lanark and Hamilton. Both Lanark and Hamilton have train and bus stations and are easy to get to from either Glasgow Central Train Station or Buchannon Street Bus Station. From South of the border, going to Glasgow is the easiest way to get to Douglas. Buses from Lanark to Douglas are much more frequent!

Bus from Lanark:

The Service Number 9 (William Stokes & Sons) runs from Lanark – Glespin, stopping in Douglas (service every 49mins past each hour). Ask to be dropped of outside the camp – drivers are usually happy to do this. Otherwise, get off at the Eggerton Bridge stop just before Douglas – you’ll see the camp on your left just after the M74 underpass!

Bus from Hamilton:

The X50 (Henderson Travel – http://www.henderson-travel.co.uk/) Hamilton-Glespin runs Hamilton, Interchange – Lesmahagow, Church Hall – Rigside – Douglas, leaving Hamilton at 17:05 (one service per day)

From Douglas:

The bus will stop before Douglas at Eggerton Bridge and you will see the camp on your left after the M74 underpass. If you miss this stop get off in Douglas and walk North East back up the A70 for 1km and the camp will be on your right just before the M74.

Hitching:

If you hitch, the camp is right next to the M74 which runs from Glasgow to Carlisle. Get dropped of at junction 12 and walk South West down the A70 towards Douglas and the camp is a few hundred metres on your left. Happendon services are close to junction 12 – if you end up therewalk South down the B7078, turn right onto the A70 towards Douglas, which takes you under the M74 and as above.

If you need a ride…

…from somewhere close by call the site phone and we’ll try to sort you out.
Contact Us

Call the site phone on: 07806926040

Email us on: mainshill@riseup.net

Multiple Climate Protests Hit Cambridge – Darwin Speaks!

16.12.09: Outraged Cambridge locals have launched multiple protests to coincide with the Climate Justice Action mass protests in Copenhagen. They demand climate justice and and end to false, carbon trading solutions.

This comes as Charles Darwin has finally broken his shameful century of silence on climate change, warning the world – ‘Climate Change = Extinction’.

A large banner has appeared on a prominent market square building, stating ‘Capitalism is Crisis. Climate Justice Now.’ Overnight unknown artists redecorated the large 800 years anniversary banner outside Kings College, allowing Darwin to articulate concern about climate change. The caption ‘800 transforming tomorrow’ was changed to ‘CO2 transforming tomorrow’, while Darwin added ‘climate change = extinction.’

Meanwhile, outraged local residents have today blockaded both Cambridge branches of RBS. While now 85% owned by the British public, RBS invests heavily in polluting industries; until recently branding itself as ‘the oil and gas bank’.(1) RBS funding has made possible expensive and massively environmentally damaging projects such as the Canadian tar sands in Alberta.(2) These protests come as thousands of people take to the streets in Copenhagen, demanding climate justice.(3)

Martina Taylor, one of the protesters, said; “Our leaders in Copenhagen are trying to solve climate change through the same market based solutions that created the problem, and allowed banks like RBS to make massive profits at the expense of human and environmental welfare. Carbon trading and offsetting just don’t work.”(4)

The protesters call for a transition to a low carbon economy: “system change, not climate change!”

More photos

Cambridge Action Network
http://www.cambridgeaction.net

Contractor’s van sabotaged at Mainshill

On Wednesday 16th, contractors parked in front of Mainshill Solidarity Camp returned to find their van sabotaged.

The Raeburn workers turned up at 2.30 with the estate manager and left their vehicles unattended while they took soil samples within the camp. In less than ten minutes, though the work van windows were smashed and ‘out of mainshill’ and ‘no more coal’ sprayed on the sides. A bucket of compost was tipped over the bonnet. Unfortunately, the estate manager’s 4×4 only got a small scratch.

The occupation of Mainshill continues, and we welcome others who wish to join us in resisting open cast coal mining and the environmental toxification it causes.

Reclaim Power! Action at COP15 – updated again

16 December 2009
Indymedia action timeline & live radio stream.

Today is the first day of the ministerial phase of the COP15 summit, that so far has made little progress. The Reclaim Power! Action, aims to take over the summit for this one day to turn it into a people assembly (call for action, latest press release). Similar assemblies have already been taking place outside the UN summit for a week, as part of the Klimaforum09 people’s climate summit with an estimated 25.000 people having taken part in discussions.

Early in the morning, multiple marches tried to make their way to the Bella Centre where the COP15 is held. The group meeting at Orestad station (Green) was surrounded by police and some were arrested [pic], but others managed to move towards COP15. A second block (Blue), of more than 1000 people, made their way to the Bella Center whilst resisiting attempts from the police to break it [Video 1 | 2 | 3 | 4] [Pics 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5] The bike block was blocked by police and redirected away. At the same time a group of protestors managed to get into the area of the COP15-Summit with a raft [pics]

Police have been repeatedly attacking the crowds with baton charges and pepper spray, as well as arresting protesters throughout the morning, and arresting medics [pics]. Corporate media report 200 to 250 arrests [video] Following yesterday’s arrest of Tadzio Muller after the Climate Justice Action press conference, at more spokespeople were violently snatched out of the crowd today. At 18:00 a CJA press conference will address the arrests of 4 media spokespeople that aim to limit their freedom of speech.

Meanwhile at the COP15 Friends of the Earth, Avaaz and Via Campesina were refused entry despite acquiring a second accreditation. Delegates staged a sit-in protest [pic, video], whilst 200 others from NGOs, indigenous people and the Global South marched out [Pics 1 | 2 | Videos 1 | 2] but police with batons and pepperspray prevented them from reaching the People’s Assembly. An hour later a protest broke into the COP15 plenary with the slogan “Climate Justice Now!”, and the Indian delegation burned its badges [vid].

The People’s Assembly took place at midday outside the Bella Centre [Pics 1], without those from inside the Bella Centre – they were prevented from getting out. After speeches the assembly decided to move towards the centre [vid] of town, while the police have been snatching people, and blocking progress intermittently.

[ Reports from corporate media: 1 | 2 | Video of whole Reclaim Power protest day ]

Timelines Indymedia DK | Motkraft.dk (dk) | Motkraft.net (se, en) | Global Project (it)

Resistance is Ripe: Agriculture Protest & Protesters Invade Climate Group Business Meeting

15th December 2009

The Resistance is Ripe Agriculture protest started today at 12pm and has marched through the centre of town under a banner reading “Food Climate Justice, not Climate Change” [pic]. Hundreds of people stopped outside the Netto supermarket for speeches about the importance of food sovereignty and the links between climate change, agriculture and exploitation of people.

See Indymedia Timeline | Modkraft Timeline [en] | icop15 on Agriculture action

—

Pre-event press release:

To farmers around the world the false solutions that are proposed in this climate summit are as much a threat as drought, tornadoes and new climate patterns.

At this moment the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is discussing how to include farmland into CO2 emission trading. To highlight that this is a false solution we will hit the street on the 15th of December.

Bente Hessellund of the Danish CJA: ‘In spite of the urgency of the climate crisis the UNFCC process fails to question an economic model that is based on infinite growth on a finite planet. Governments have done nothing to move beyond setting up market mechanisms to combat the climate crisis. These mechanisms are not aimed at pushing back the use of fossil fuels or greenhouse gas emissions in the industrial countries. The possibility of including agricultural land into CO2 emission-trading is one of the false solutions to climate change. It can lead to farmers being forced into dependency of agro-industrial projects. Instead, agriculture needs to be removed from the profit-driven market in order to develop a radically ecological food system that cools down the planet.’

To make clear that large scale industrial agriculture aggravates climate change rather than solve the climate problem, Climate Justice Action (CJA) is organising a demonstration in Copenhagen on the 15th of December. Our motto is “Food System Change, not Climate Change”. CJA is one of the networks that actively mobilises the critical voices around the Copenhagen climate summit.

The agriculture manifestation will be taken to the streets of Copenhagen, calling attention to the positive alternative that non-commercial, organic agriculture for human needs offers. In a creative manner, the attention will be drawn to companies that are responsible for the industrial food model. Will it be a blockade on the Monsanto premises or do the agriculture activist have something else in store? Let yourself be taken by surprise on one of the many stops on their way through town.

To farmers around the world the false solutions that are proposed in this climate summit are as much a threat as drought, tornadoes and new climate patterns.

In the South, forests are burnt or cut down and small farmers are cleared off their land to make way for large scale industrial mono-cultures as soy and maize to supply the European intensive livestock breeders. In factory farms, millions of animals are fattened as fast as possible, creating vast amounts of dung and methane and consuming a great deal of energy.

Stimulating agrofuels and bio-plastics to combat the crisis will only increase the pressure on the people currently living from the land. Already in the developing countries large areas of land are grabbed by multinationals, small farmers and indigenous people driving off their territories.

‘Small scale, organic agriculture remains the best way to combat hunger, malnutrition and the food and climate crisis.’ argues activist Flip Vonk of Climate Justice Action (CJA) and part time farm hand on an organic farm. ‘Native seeds offer the best opportunity for adaptation to current and future changes in the climate. Sustainable local food production costs less energy, makes us independent from imported animal foods, captures CO2 in the soil and improves biodiversity.’

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Earlier in the day activists protested at an exclusive meeting between business and government ministers organised by The Climate Group, an international lobby group who represent business interests – there were 17 arrests see report below [ video]

At around 4.45pm, police suddenly arrived unannounced at the Candy Factory (Boljsefabrikken) in the city’s northwest district. In this space, activists from the ‘Bike block‘ have been building bicycles for tomorrow’s ‘Reclaim Power‘ action. People inside the Candy Factory were told to leave the building while it was being searched, and then they were eventually brought back inside, into the library, and their details were taken. An activist who was in the building at the time describes the situation: “We all got placed in one room, after that the police started to search the place. People got registrated before they were allowed to leave the place. They got some kind of identification-forms, where they noted name and address, but also length, hair color and which clothes people where wearing”. By 18.15 the search seemed to be over. The coach that police had brought left with one arrestee. Police then blocked off the building with red and white tape and set up spotlights onto the building. By 19.45 reports came in of police trucks taking away two bicycles as well as some computers [photos | report]. Due to this raid, an indymedia benefit party had to be cancelled.

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Climate Activists Invade Meeting of Senior Politicians in Copenhagen

Seventeen climate activists invaded an exclusive meeting between business and government ministers at a Copenhagen hotel this morning. The meeting, called the “Climate Leaders Summit” was organised by The Climate Group, an international lobby group who represent business interests in tackling climate change.

The activists entered the invite-only meeting at the DGI Byen complex at 11.00am, with a banner saying “Climate Group: Leading us into Climate Chaos”. They invaded the foyer and got to the entrance of the meeting room, where politicians including Segolene Royal of France, First Minister Alex Salmond of Scotland, Premier Mike Rann of South Australia, and Prince Albert of Monaco [1] were addressing business leaders and a wide
cross-section of the global media. The activists disrupted the meeting with loud chants of “Climate Justice not Climate Profits” before being seized by security guards and police and dragged out of the building. The protesters were placed on the pavement outside the entrance of the building with their banner. However, they refused to remain silent and instead displayed their banner, chanted, sang, and read a prepared statement to the watching media and members of the public. The statement [full text at the bottom of this press release] began:

“We’re here today because climate change is not a business opportunity. It is already responsible for 300,000 deaths per year – it’s a global emergency, not a chance to make money. The Climate Group supports carbon trading as the “solution” to the climate crisis, but carbon markets are nothing more than an excuse to continue to pollute as usual, while also profiting from a whole new market in hot air.”

The Climate Group meeting was targeted not just for the policies being discussed, but in protest at the undemocratic way in which these kind of events give privileged access to industry lobbyists. According to one of the protesters, Sara Horne: “It’s not surprising that delegates from the Global South have started walking out of the COP15 summit, when the interests of their people are being sidelined in favour of business
interests at cosy backroom meetings like this one. The Climate Group is pushing an agenda based on profits, dubious technical fixes and failed market ‘solutions’. We need real climate solutions – food and energy sovereignty, localisation of production and consumption and full recognition of Indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ rights. These solutions don’t make any profit for industry, however, so you won’t hear them discussed by the Climate Group.”

The activists were then led away one by one by police and arrested. The last protester was removed at around 12.00 noon.

ENDS

ACTIVISTS’ STATEMENT IN FULL:

We’re here as part of Climate Justice Action [2]. Like you, we have travelled to Copenhagen because of a deeply-held belief that the world must act now to prevent runaway climate change. Unlike you, we believe that the solutions to climate change must be based on effectiveness and global justice, not the needs of big business.

The Climate Group presents itself as a network of organisations who are seeking equitable solutions to climate change. Yet with members from the oil, aviation, and global finance industries [3], it is hard to believe it is free from vested interests. Relationships with profit-seeking multinationals are at the very heart of the organisation.

We want to highlight the deep hypocrisy of this meeting. The Climate Group claim that they want to “reconcile development goals and climate protection”, but carbon trading is simply a way for the Global North to retain its dominance and effectively privatise the future of our planet. Similarly, the exclusivity of this meeting is an excellent example of the way in which climate negotiations favour the rich countries who have caused the climate crisis in the first place. Where are the cosy meetings with indigenous peoples and Southern farmers’ movements? Why are the voices of those most affected by climate change being excluded, while business gets this kind of exclusive access? None of this can “reconcile development goals and climate protection”.

Markets fundamentally cannot solve climate change. Their purpose is to maximise profits, not reduce emissions. Putting business concerns, rather than social concerns, at the forefront of solving climate change completely ignores the fact that corporations and economic growth have caused this problem in the first place. There are real solutions to climate change, but you won’t find them in this room.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The full list of attendees was: Steve Howard (CEO, The Climate Group); Helen Clark (Administrator of UNDP); Prince Albert II of Monaco; Shai Agassi (CEO of “Better Place); Alex Salmond (First Minister of Scotland); President Nasheed (Maldives); Premier Jean Charest (Quebec); Premier Mike Rann (South Australia); Governor Jose Sierra (San Paolo); Minister Christa Thoben (North Rhine-Westphalia); Predisent Jean-Paul Huchon (Ile-de-France); President Jose Montilla (Catalonia); Governor Jim Doyle (Wisconsin); Premier Greg Selinger (Manitoba); First Minister Carwyn Jones (Wales); Premier Gordon Campbell (British Colombia); Premier Eva Aariak (Nunavut); Governor Chris Gregoire (Washington); Minister Kate Jones (Queensland); Minister Erik Van Heljningen (South Holland); Minister John Gerretsen (Ontario); Minister Dr. Markus Soeder (Bavaria).

2. http://www.climate-justice-action.org/
3. Members of The Climate Group include BP, Tesco, Virgin Atlantic, HSBC and Barclays. See http://www.theclimategroup.org.

14/12/09: Tar Sands, No Borders protests & incursion into Christiania – updated

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline 14th December 2009

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline 14th December 2009
Previous days’ reporting: 10th, 11th, 12th & 13th December 2009

Following on from the actions from Hit the Production and Via Campesina of the 13th December, the day has started with a protest at the Canadian Embassy in Kristen Bernikows Gade about the Canadian Tar Sands [report]. At the same time a group of international activists staged a protest against the International Emissions Trading Association (IETA) who were having their annual general meeting in central Copenhagen. [report & pics]

Then at 11AM a NO BORDERS demonstration meeting at Israel Plads, Vesterbrogade, has proceed to march to the via Nørre Voldgade and Gothersgade, where around 1,500 protestors formed a solid block enclosed by people with arms linked in front of the Danish Ministry of Defence at Holmenskanal 42, near Holmens Bro. Speeches were given around the fact that “Climate Change is an issue in terms of migration because the Global South is suffering and the borders are trying to repress them“. The protest then crossed Holmens bro bridge and moved on to Slotsplads where it continued as a solid bloc.

In Slotplads the demonstrators succeeded in untethering a large orange balloon advertising the COP15 process. [video] The police struggled to keep it tied down, but it was eventually liberated. The police then moved in and most of the crowd dispersed, although some were trapped there by a police kettle. Eventually the crowd managed to break out of the kettle and crossed Knippel Bro onto Torvsgade. The main body of the demo then moved towards Chrstiania followed by a large number of riot police who eventually left the demo alone. Once the demo arrived at Chrstiania the crowd dispersed in high spirits.

See video reports direct from the demo: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11| Photos: 1 | 2 | 3

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline 14-12-2009 | Other timelines: Motkraft Denmark (en), Motkraft Sweeden (en) | La Haine (sp)

The morning’s protest at the Canadian Embassy was called by the Indigenous Environmental Network, the Rainforest Action Network, the Council of Canadians, the Indigenous Peoples Power Project, and UK Tar Sands Group to protest about the planet’s most destructive industrial project, which is destroying the habitat and culture of Canadian First Nations peoples whilst tipping Canada’s carbon footprint completely over the edge.

News is also coming out of the official Summit. The BBC is reporting that the “negotiations at the UN Climate Summit have been suspended after developing countries withdrew their co-operation” [full article] The G77 chief negotiator Lumumba Di-Aping explained the latest development with the following statement: “The president of the COP (Danish climate minister Connie Hedegaard) is absolutely committed to violate any democratic processes”.

After a long day of demonstrations against the Canadian Tar Sands, and the issues of climate change and migration activists have been tear-gassed and arrested by police while attending an evening party. The police appear to be trying to wear down street-level opposition through constant offensive action against activists.

In the early evening Naomi Klein addressed a Reclaim Power party in Christiania. Later in the evening, in unclear circumstances, the police arrived with a water cannon whilst a barricade had been built and fired tear gas [reports 1 | 2]. The situation spiralled, street fights broke out and the police entered Christiania, making numerous (200+) arrests [Photo 1 | 2 | 3] [Video 1 | 2 | 3].

Despite the successful protests of 14th December, where activists were able to march through the streets without mass arrests, it seems it is effectively illegal to publicly voice opposition to emissions trading, carbon markets, and other “solutions” to the problem of climate change in Copenhagen. Over 1500 people have now been detained, arrested, beaten, tear-gassed, pepper-sprayed, and purposefully held in sub-zero temperatures for voicing their opposition. Despite this people remain committed to showing solidarity with the global south and taking direct action.

Hit the Production – No to business as usual

13 December 2009

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline
Call for witnesses: If you have been pepper sprayed whilst detained get in touch! +45 528 792 04

13 December 2009

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline
Call for witnesses: If you have been pepper sprayed whilst detained get in touch! +45 528 792 04

The main actions around the COP15 for the 13th December are Hit the Production at the Harbour, and a Farmers action called by Via Campesina. The farmers actions starts at 12:30 with an attendance of about 300 people, doing street theatre about Farmers and big business. At 12:40 hundreds of people march towards the harbour, with banners reading “Our planet not your business”, and giving interviews about the mass arrests yesterday. Riot police walk alongside them and less than an hour later the police blocks the demonstration by surrounding it, taking the music truck away [Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Videos 1 | 2] Mass arrests start, and at about 14:45 coaches arrive to take people away. Read our eyewitness report and report of first release. By the evening, DRL TV station reports a total of 257 pre-emptive arrests today.

At the same time the Via Campesina march has progressed more peacefully, but demonstrators found that police lines have their blocked access to the Klimaforum. Live video feed of Via Campesina Farmers action. It arrived in its final destination, near the Råhuset infopoint, despite the police attempts to disrupt it. (Report and press release).

The CJA has issued a condemnation of the unprovoked police actions while other groups are planning on launching an official complaint regarding the inhuman treatement of prisoners yesterday (press conference). First reports from those released point to similar detention condition: “They offered us no food and water. I am a diabetic and when I spoke to the police and recovered my stuff to take insulin I could not find it. After I was told by the doctor there that they did not keep insulin there, the released me.” At 17:00 a solidarity demo started outside the Vålby detention centre, that has been kettled within an hour.

For latest reports see: Indymedia Timeline | Listen to Climate Radio show for Dec 13.

See Modkraft Timeline [eng] | Motkraft.net Timeline [eng] | Nocop Imc Italy | icop15 aggregation

Yesterday’s Feature: 100,000 Protest at COP15, Police Make Mass Arrests

Meanwhile the official Summit seems to be falling into further disaray as the days go by. The Guardian newspaper reports today that “the Copenhagen climate talks hit trouble tonight as a number of African countries indicated their leaders would refuse to take part in the final summit unless significant progress was made in the next three days.” The main sticking points seem to still be about emission cuts, long-term finance, and when poor countries should start to reduce emissions. Read full article here.