CHAOS INSIDE THE UN SUMMIT, RANDOM ARRESTS AND RAIDS OUTSIDE

PRESS RELEASE

CLIMATE JUSTICE ACTION
15th December 2009
Contact: +45 5066 9028
media@climate-justice-action.org

CHAOS INSIDE THE UN SUMMIT, RANDOM ARRESTS AND RAIDS OUTSIDE

The Danish police have escalated their attempts to criminalise and
harass activists from the group Climate Justice Action in tactics
described as "desperate and self-interested."

The group is an international coalition of grass-roots organisations,
representing the voices of those marginalised from the UN process from
the start of these negotiations, including indigenous rights
activists, farmers movements and environmentalists. (1)

Dr. Tadzio Mueller (2) was arrested by three undercover policemen at
around 15.10 just a few minutes after leaving the Bella Centre where
he had helped in a press conference presenting Climate Justice
Action's protests for Wednesday.

At 16.45 Danish police raided a bicycle workshop being used by
demonstrators to prepare bicycle constructions to be used as part of
working alternatives to fossil fuel culture in Wednesday's
demonstrations.

At 18.00 a further 36 people were arrested at the Klimaforum, the
alternative summit taking place in central Copenhagen, while
protesting against the seizure by police of the vegetable oil they
planning to use for their zero-carbon vehicles.

Simultaneously, about 15,000 delegates, journalists and civil society
representatives have effectively been locked out of the summit by
being refused accreditation, and delays in applications of up to 8
hours.

Many of these delegates will be joining the demonstrations against the
COP process tomorrow, alongside Climate Justice Action (3).

Kamille Hjuler from Climate Justice Action commented: "These are yet
more attempts by the UN to silence any criticisms of the COP process,
whether from inside or outside."


She continues:
"There is less and less hope in the COP process, and more and more
willingness to trample over people's civil liberties in order to stop
the mass civil disobedience that will take place at the summit on
Wednesday."

ENDS
_____________

NOTES

(1) Organisations include Climate Camp UK, Terra de Direitos (Brazil)
and Focus on the Global South, Via Campesina, Climate Justice Now and
the Indian Social Action Forum.

(2) Dr Tadzio Mueller, resident of Berlin, is an accredited NGO
observer, academic, author and climate justice activist, who recently
edited the book 'Contours of Climate Justice' and is also a co-editor
of 'Turbulence' magazine.

(3) The Push for Climate Justice, which will begin from 10am on
Wednesday 16th, will create an alternative space for a radically
different agenda from that of the COP. It will involve 5-10,000
activists approaching the Bella Centre from the outside, and
simultaneous disruptions of the summit from accredited delegates
within.

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