Sunday, 13 December 2009

968 Climate Protestors Arrested & Treated Like Animals

Climate change groups have criticised Danish police for using heavy-handed tactics after they detained 968 people at a rally near the Copenhagen summit.

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Mel Evans from Climate Justice Action said protesters were held for hours in freezing conditions without medical attention, water or toilets. She said the actions of the police were appalling.
"People were very scared and they were held for about four hours on the ground. They weren't able to have any medical attention, any water, and weren't allowed to have any toilet facilities," "People were there in freezing conditions urinating on themselves and being held in lines like, essentially like animals."


The telegraph says those arrested were lefty anarchists, The times of India says they were 'black blocks', the bbc say it was 'youths'.

A police spokesman said almost all of those detained on Saturday had now been released, but a few would be charged. Tens of thousands marched to press for more decisive action on global warming. Nearly 1000 were arrested, this was the single most arrests ever recorded in one situation in Danish history, says a local.

The World Development Movement's director, Deborah Doane, condemned the authorities for what she said was a "complete violation of the right to protest and a step towards the breakdown of democracy".

In a statement, Copenhagen police said a large group of protesters had organised themselves in a so-called "black bloc", in which they put on masks - an illegal action at a demonstration in Denmark. Officers then decided to "seal off" the group from the march. The force said the large number of arrests had "produced a huge amount of pressure" on officers responsible for transporting, receiving and registering detainees. "This [meant] a large number of detainees got to sit disproportionately long on the street before transportation was possible. Copenhagen Police will evaluate if there is an opportunity for a faster way of transporting detainees away from the scene in the future," it added.

Danish police say only 13 of 968 people detained during Saturday's protests in Copenhagen remain in custody.

Some activists dressed as polar bears, some as penguins with signs like "Save the Humans!". Some held a giant balloon of an inflatable snowman about to melt — a symbol of warming tied mainly to the burning of fossil fuels that the U.N. panel of climate scientists says will bring desertification, floods, heat waves and rising seas. "There is no planet B" and "Change the politics, not the climate", read other banners.

Youtube;
Earthkeepers , itn, sky, Danish News.

4 comments:

GIDEON MACK said...

I agree that more decisive action for renewable energy needs to be pushed for. I agree with recycling, I agree that birth control needs to be better addressed where the resources will not support the population but scare mongering and prevaricating at Copenhagen or on the BBC just puts those realists amongst us off.

Adrian Windisch said...

Im not sure how this relates to the post, which was about arrests of protesters.

Climate activists are realists, we see what is needed to be done and act accordingly. Keeping it real.

GIDEON MACK said...

'Keeping it real' lol. I agree with your principles but burning a candle in Market Place and cars in Denmark isn't acting accordingly, it's tokenism.

Your post talks about people getting arresting and being made to sit in the cold which acheived nothing.

Worse than that - climate change activists damage your cause - getting a wind turbine is acting accordingly - prevaricating about the effect is hot air and bores the mainstream - no disrespect intended.

Adrian Windisch said...

Burning cars in Denmark is a crime, I condemn that utterly.

The police treated activists like animals, I condemn that too.

'Climate change activists damage your cause' no, they promote it. I doubt very much that the criminals that burned cars were climate activists.

When Cameron stuck a turbine on his roof, that was tokenism. I recall he had to take it down as it didn't have permission. It sent a signal though, as he intended.
Insulating your house is far better to reduce emissions.