During the climate summit held in Copenhagen (COP 15) in December 2009, thousands of people from around the world gathered there to challenge the farcical political negotiations at the UNFCCC Bella Center. They demanded just solutions to the climate crises. They demanded climate justice.
The Danish government replied with a massive police repression followed by thousands of preventive arrests, month-long surveillance of telephone and raids of private homes and accommodations.
In August and October, Natasha Verco, Noah Weiss, Stine Gry Jonassen and Tannie Nyboe face trials that can potentially result in years in prison while a prosecution case against the Danish state about the preventive arrests was initiated and will take place on the 23th and 30th of August and the 1st of September.
In solidarity, demonstrations have been organised and everyone is urged to demonstrate support and solidarity with the accused and make the criticism of the ongoing processes visible.
The coming trials are not just about the fact that innocent people might be convicted, but about everybody's fundamental right to demonstrate, protest, take action and organize politically. It is important that we do not sign away these rights, but continue the fight.
In these circumstances, we should remember this well-known poem:
They came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . and by that time there was no one left to speak up.
For more information: The Climate Collective, www.cop15repression.info orwww.climatecollective.org; email: cop15repression@climatecollective.org