More Ordinary Heroes – The Red Carpet Four
Sunday, 10 January 2010
Christiansen, De Uralde, Schmutz and Thijssen may not be household names like the contestants in lame TV show The X Factor but history may view them as the heroes of a much greater contest, the fight to stop governments and big business killing off our planet. While slimy corporate lobbyists and spineless politicians were toying with the earth’s future at the Copenhagen UN Climate Conference, these four – and several colleagues - carried out a daring piece of non-violent direct action. Here's why we think they’re heroes and the Danish authorities aren't.
GREENPEACE – TRULY INTERNATIONAL RESCUE
It was a truly international operation which was launched on 17 December. The activists were three men - from Holland, Spain and Switzerland – and a Norwegian woman living in Denmark. They were from Greenpeace groups in Germany, Norway, Spain and Switzerland. The action was carried out before a banquet for 120 world leaders, hosted by the Queen of Denmark. The activists claimed to represent a country called Mother Earth and managed to walk along the red carpet just behind US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Greenpeace wanted to deliver a strong message on climate change and succeeded in spectacular fashion. In their own words, “with a few smart-looking cars in a "motorcade" marked with the Greenpeace logo, a tuxedo, an off-the-rack evening dress and a flashing blue light bought on the internet, they managed to get into the Parliament and deploy, in full view of the world's leaders and the gathered press, banners demanding action on climate change.” The banners they unfurled read, “Politicians talk, leaders act.”
NAUGHTY V CATACLYSMIC
It wasn't the activists’ intent to make fools of the Danish police. It was fortunate, however, that it was four peaceful protesters who managed to show just how easy it was to breach the inadequate security arrangements. “We did it because there were only 24 hours left for world leaders to reach a global agreement. It was a bit like a building was burning and we wanted to put out the fire.” Although they admitted to doing “something a bit naughty”, the Red Carpet Four – as they were dubbed by the press – felt that their action was justified as proportionate in trying to stop climate change becoming climate chaos.
Sadly the word proportionate cannot be used to describe the response of the Danish authorities. The four were told initially that they would be released after 24 hours with a warning, but despite the police’s own lawyers recommending the activists’ immediate release (source: Danish newspaper Nyheder), the Chief of Police ignored this advice. A judge ordered them to be held indefinitely, without charge, and they were detained for 20 days over the Christmas and New Year period. Despite repeated demands for their release, the Danish authorities maintained a stony silence.
POLICE LIES? SURELY NOT….
Finally, as pressure grew for a meeting with Greenpeace International’s Executive Director Kumi Naidoo, the four were set free. The alleged reason for the long detention without charge was that the Danish police were investigating the incident. This conflicts directly with the facts as the four were only interviewed twice in the whole period – once on their arrest and once, for fifteen minutes, a few days before their release - and the police had all the evidence they needed from having tapped several Greenpeace phones (without the knowledge of the police lawyers). One of the activists, Joris Thijssen, when asked if he would do it all again said yes but added that he would make sure that he took a book!
In addition, Greenpeace offered to help early on. They provided full details and an open invitation to the police to ask them anything. Yet they weren't asked a single question until a couple days ago, when police asked for the names of those who were in the three cars in the "Motorcade." As a matter of fact, the individuals concerned voluntarily came forward, in line with Greenpeace practice.
The environmental group specialises in non-violent direct action and refuses to run away from the authorities, standing its ground to argue the case for the actions which they have taken. That’s why we have a lot of respect for Greenpeace and have become actively involved, even if we haven’t got anywhere near a red carpet….yet.
12 MORE ACTIVISTS STILL HELD BY POLICE
The released activists will be returning to Copenhagen to face charges of trespass, falsifying documents and impersonating police officers (we assume that means shouting a lot, beating people with truncheons, locking them up without charge and representing the state rather than ordinary citizens – wow, quite a charge for holding up a banner!)
Despite the release of the Red Carpet Four, 12 other Greenpeace activists are still being held in Copenhagen. Earlier this week they wrote, “We are detained with evidently absurd accusations about either violences that actually did not take place or conspiracies and organising of law-breaking actions. We do not feel guilty for having shown, together with thousands, the reclamation of the independence of our lives from profit’s rule. If the laws oppose this, it was legitimate to peacefully – but still conflictually – break them.”
“There are not enough prisons in the world to hold us all. It's time to stop jailing us, and listen.”
LESSONS FROM COPENHAGEN
Firstly, the authorities do not appear to be constrained by their own laws when dealing with environmental campaigners. Mads Christensen, director of Greenpeace Nordic commented, “The unnecessary imprisonment of these activists has effectively been punishment without trial. It has piled a further ‘climate injustice’ on top of world leaders’ failure to agree a legally binding treaty to cut greenhouse gas emissions.”
Secondly, the authorities plan has misfired badly. The four activists were released to huge media attention and have returned to their countries to appear on chat shows and other high profile media platforms. The battle for the hearts and minds of ordinary people has seen a significant victory thanks to the bravery of four ordinary heroes and the stupidity of those in authority.
This is vital because, finally, there are simply not enough people willing to take action to do something about climate change. We need a mass movement of non-violent civil disobedience to make the politicians sit up and take notice. In the UK, it worked towards halting a third runway at Heathrow and new coal-fired power stations last year. Now we need a new level of resistance to give the earth and especially its poorest people a fighting chance. As Greenpeace point out, “There are not enough prisons in the world to hold us all. It's time to stop jailing us, and listen.”
LINKS
Greenpeace Climate Rescue Weblog
LINKED ARTICLES ON TAKE THE RED PILL
