One Hundred Thousand Strong March Against Climate Change in Copenhagen

Global UN Climate negotiations (COP15) are proceeding in Copenhagen with over 100 heads of state expected to attend in the next week. With 2009 the 5th hottest year on record, Scientists are saying a Climate Treaty is more urgent with Global carbon emissions still increasing and acidification threatening marine biodiversity.

There are major differences between the industrialised nations, the large developing nations of India and China, and the poorest and most vulnerable countries as typified by Tuvalu which proposed to fortify the Kyoto agreement, and Bolivia. Summary of Negotiations by Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne (video)

In Copenhagen 100,000 people marched, however after 3pm police charged into the march and made arbitrary mass arrests estimated to be about 1,000. Further protests are occurring the next week inside the conference center and on the streets, check Denmark Indymedia for details and reports.

Many thousands of people attended a global weekend of vigils organised by 350.org and other protests with Walk Against Warming In Australia attracting 90,000 people, with 40,000 attending a Melbourne rally. (Video)

Aggregation and Video: icop15 aggregation | cop15live video
Radio: Climate Radio | Radio Mundo | Radio Indymedia - Urban War in Copenhagen?, 9 hour detention for Japanese man for nothing
Background on Tuvalu: Climate Adaption Issues | Speech at Melbourne Climate Rally

In Copenhagen Saturday 12th began with the NOAH Flood for Climate Justice Demonstration which started at 10am and marched, danced and waved to Højbro Plads [photo report]. The 12dec Demo started at Christiansborg Slotsplads / Parliament Square [google route map], including a CJA group, and it was soon clear that it was massive, with estimates quickly reaching 100,000 protesters. This was also part of a Global Day of Action on climate change. People were also meeting at Hojbro Plads in the same area for another action in the city.

Police Make Indiscriminate Mass Arrests

At around 3.15pm the police charged into the march near to where the CJA System Change not Climate Change group had joined the march, as well as people from the Ntac called demonstration. They cut off hundreds of people including many who were marching as part of Libertarian Socialist bloc [Pics 1 > 2 > 3 | report | video]. By 5pm several hundred had been handcuffed and made to sit on the floor, where they remain in the cold for hours. The police's press office reports that those arrested today are between 700-900 people, later revised to close to one thousand. - See AerialTwitpic. See CJA Press Release, of these only three were eventually charged with anything.

Following the enormous mass arrests of climate protesters, accounts are emerging of the poor conditions within the specially set up detention facilities, with people handcuffed for up to eight hours following their lengthy detention upon the streets. Despite this obvious repression climate campaigners remain determined to push the message that we need System Change not climate change.

Further Information see: Denmark IMC Features