The message we send to the world

There has been a lot of talk around Copenhagen today about the pre-emptive arrest of Tadzio Mueller, a spokesperson for Climate Justice Action, and an accredited participant of COP15. Police have refused to say what he is being charged with and only that he will appear in court tomorrow morning. Everyone knows this arrest is directly related to an action planned for tomorrow morning to march to the Bella Center where the summit is taking place, entering the building and holding a people's assembly in the main hall, thus shuting down negotiations for a period. This action has been on the agenda all along, and initially I wasn't inclined to attend this particular demonstration; there were a lot of NGOs present in the Bella Center who were able to represent the voice of civil society and I thought that it was simply sensational and disruptive without real purpose to enter the building and actually HALT talks so close to the end of the summit.

My thoughts have really changed in the past few days, however, as the action has taken on new meaning as good faith negotiations have ceased and as numerous NGOs have been shut out of the Bella Center in the second week, we are told to make way for the increasing number of politicians and other government officials (although the number being denied access far exceeds the increase in these groups). Today, my frustration and anger (and fear) reached a breaking point as I heard of the arrest of Mueller. It is so important to the Danish government that Copenhagen be viewed in a "positive" light in the rest of the world (although we must ask, "who's definition of 'positive'?) that they are willing to arrest people who have done nothing illegal simply because they encourage others to engage in peaceful demonstrations! This should terrify people of all political stripes.

So I'm leaning towards going. Partially, this is because I want to send a message to all those governments in the Bella Center that real democracy doesn't happen behind closed doors and in secret meetings and that, try as they might, they cannot ignore the people who it is their duty to represent. Partially, this is because my knowledge of the consequences of climate change and my committment to fighting for a fair, ambitious and binding international agreement to fight climate change have grown exponentially during my time here. Partially, and increasingly, this is because I want to tell them that I (we) will not shut up when we know we are fighting for what is necessary and what is just, and that when it comes to the climate crisis that already kills 300,000 people a year, our cries will only get louder as they try to quiet us. I want them, and people watching around the world, to know that we will not be intimidated into silence. Some things are worth fighting for and if fighting for climate justice means I find myself handcuffed, kneeling on the freezing streets of Copenhagen for hours (as the demonstrators arrested on Saturday found themselves) with a few thousand like-minded people, then hopefully that makes our message stronger. We will not be violent and if we are arrested for attempting to make our voices heard, the only thing that seems to suggest to me is that the government knows we have something important to say.

For those who are interested, there are some great articles on both the Huffington Post and the Guardian on the arrest of Tadzio Mueller and tomorrow's demonstration.

Let's hope I'm here to post tomorrow, cause it's getting really cold in this city and kneeling on the street for hours is just something I could really do without.