Posted on 12/12/2009 4:15:47 PM PST by myknowledge
A police crackdown on climate protesters in Copenhagen in which more than 960 people were arrested was preplanned and apparently without justification, according to an Australian eyewitness.
Simon Sheikh, national director of the progressive Australian lobby group Get Up, watched the crackdown from his apartment - and has exclusive video footage of it.
Mr Sheikh said the marchers were peacefully making their way through the bohemian district of Christianshavn on Saturday afternoon when the police moved in.
"At a preplanned time they ran with full riot gear straight at women, children and families," Mr Sheikh told AAP. "We were taken aback."
The massive march was on its way from the centre of Copenhagen to the Bella Centre, where the UN climate conference is being held. Police estimate 30,000 people went on the march while organisers say it was 100,000.
Over the course of the day a total of 968 protesters were taken into custody, police said.
Mr Sheikh said the police presence had been building up in Christianshavn all day. When the police moved on the marchers, they separated out a group of about 350, pushing some into shopfronts. Some marchers were thrown to the ground, according to Mr Sheikh.
"We were surprised because they were protesters who were simply calling for a fair treaty here at Copenhagen. It's sad to see police react in the way they did."
He said marchers chanted "binding treaty now", while their supporters, who were outside the police cordon, chanted "let them go".
As AAP saw from within the police cordon, protesters had their hands bound and police made them sit on the pavement. It was a bitterly cold evening. The marchers were taken away slowly in police vans, in small groups. Some were still sitting on the ground three hours after the incident. Ambulance officers were helping a protester who appeared to have a broken arm. There was a large contingent of police and police vehicles.
Get Up's apartment is on the fourth floor of a building overlooking the street where the incident took place, Amagerbrogade.
Mr Sheikh said the group was filming the march to show its members in Australia what was happening in Copenhagen.
A 21-year-old protester called Leah told AAP the incident was sparked by police moving in on a section of the march, apparently for no reason. One person threw a stone in response to this, which she said did not hit police or a window.
Leah said police then arrested up to 400 people. "The police came and took all of the group, for sure they didn't do anything," said the Danish student, who did not want to give her surname. "(The police) were just waiting for something to happen to take all of them."
Leah escaped arrest but at least 10 of her friends were taken away. "Nothing happened and this is what made me really really angry."
Leah said it was not fair to make the protesters sit on the pavement for hours because it was very cold. The temperature was forecast to hit minus four degrees Celsius on Saturday night.
It appears police were concerned about some protesters who were dressed in black and were believed to favour more direct action such as breaking windows. But when AAP went behind the police cordon at Christianshavn, the protesters detained and sitting on the pavement were not dressed in black, and there did not appear to be any broken windows.
Enviro-leftist whackoes protesting in Copenhagen. They've gotta be kidding us.
This is how the next world war begins. It won’t be over borders, but rather the collusion of the world’s politicians in advancing a global agenda based on a hoax vs. the citizens of the world uniting.
I’m confused, (sarc)they are protesting a hopeful global warming agreement that the other idiots in conference are pushing. What the hell is in the water? Does anyone have a job over there?
The constantly whining enviros? Awful lot of polyester in that shot.
Probably don’t really know what they are protesting about...just humans and corporations are bad and polluting the world.
Of course the article doesn’t say whether they were marching leagally or illeagally (without permit). If they were illeagal, then the police had every right to make arrests just on the fact that they were there. The witness that was interviewed had no facts about the legality of the march, but his emotional tale made for good “news”.
Just one stone. Because the police made him throw it. And it fluttered to the ground harmlessly. Just the one.
Notice how most of the signs are mass produced. I would not be surprised if the Carbon Mafia paid them to be there.
I'm sorry, that's not possible. This conference is all about the indisputable fact that the globe is warming and the polar bears are drowning.
So they were protesting Global Warming but complaining because it was cold?
That said, I can’t see anything good coming of Copenhagen.
So you support whats being done in Copenhagen?
Maybe I misread the article. I thought the protesters were saying that more needs to be done to push for GW legistation.
I’ll say the same thing that I said about the G20 here in Pittsburgh, which also had a very heavy police presense.
If these world leaders are so concerned about their safety from these protestors, why not just have these meetings out at some military base in the desert where you can have the entire army providing security?
To shut down an entire city for a gabfest that could be held in an unpopulated area- or even better, by teleconferencing- is just arrogant beyond belief.
>>Awful lot of polyester in that shot.
"
Milk and applesPolyester materials contain substance absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brain works. The whole management and organization of this farm depended on us. Day and night we are watching over our well fare. It is for your sake that wedrink the milk and eat these applesare clothed in polyester fashion wear. Do you know what happens of we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back!"
And remember NO SLEEPING IN BEDS! err {edit} WIF SHEETS!
“I thought the protesters were saying that more needs to be done to push for GW legistation.”
I found the article confusing. However I don’t think anything good will come of this. The police response to protesters doesn’t seem to depend on what they are protesting. It seems the OWG folks don’t care for any kind of free speech.
Because their governments or their non-profits organizations are picking up the tab for the first class restaurants and the shows and the hookers.
It's about the participants spending other people's money to celebrate how wonderful it is to be them. And they can't do that in a desert.
Do any of them have a job?
The crackdown was “preplanned,” as opposed to postplanned? What does that mean?
You've got to love these idiots. So the police practice crowd/riot control so when they were called out the police knew where to go and how to act rather than look like a Keystone Kops routine. How about that...
- Traveler
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