Bella Center takeover fails
The police reportedly used teargas and threatened to turn their dogs on the protestors (Photo: Christian Midtgaard)Police cracked down hard on demonstrators yesterday outside the Bella Center
by Daniel Nielsen
Activists networks Climate Justice Action and Climate Justice Now had planned to enter the COP15 venue and stage a People’s Assembly which would “give a voice to those who are not being heard”, and “to discuss the real solutions”.
When the marchers reached the Bella Center, the police informed them through a megaphone in French, German, Danish and English the Bella Center was closed off.
Eventually, inevitably perhaps, the standoff turned brutal.
The police chose to break up the demonstration even though the activists had signaled they would not try to enter the conference venue after all, instead staging a gathering outside.
Demonstrators were then pepper-sprayed and beaten with batons. Some tried scaling fences, climbing over police vans and even using flotation devices to cross a canal surrounding the venue.
A couple of hundred delegates marching out of the Bella Center to join the demonstration were also beaten back with batons by the police.
One delegate shouted at the police, “We said we would be peaceful and you’ve reacted with violence. Shame on you.”
Some of the demonstrators threw bottles at the police officers and about 230 people were arrested.
The police reportedly used teargas and threatened to turn their dogs on the protestors. By early afternoon, the situation had settled down as the demonstrators turned and walked back towards the city.
Two spokepeople for Climate Justic Action, Tannie Nyboe and Stine Gry Jonassen, were both arrested during the course of the day.
You are wrong when you write that, “The police chose to break up the demonstration even though the activists had signaled they would not try to enter the conference venue after all.” I was there photographing from a good vantage point, and it was clear to me that the protesters basically “attacked” the cops, trying to push though the police line and into the security perimeter. The police did their job, holding the line, and resorted to force as a defence of their position. I do agree, however, that the force they used seemed excessive after it turned into chaos. Here’s my version of the story and my photos from the scene:
http://www.lenkphoto.com/home/?p=867
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