Reclaiming Power: Faces of Climate Justice

During the COP15 climate meetings in Copenhagen several thousand climate activists using nonviolent techniques attempted to access the Bella Canter in order to hold a “People’s Assembly,” in order to promote democratic and realistic solutions to climate change, as opposed to the false market-based “solutions” on the summit’s agenda.

Several blocs approached the UN Bella Center on the morning of the 16th of December, and this set of photos is from the “blue bloc,” the largest of the four blocs. Upon attempting to reach the main gate of the the UN Center’s grounds, the blue bloc was beaten back by police batons and pepper-spray, eventually holding the People’s Assembly in the street, using human chains on two sides of the gathering to prevent police from dispersing the crowd.

Another more mobile “green bloc” was corralled and arrested en-mass on the opposite side of the UN Center, and a bicycle bloc, while creating a nearby diversion was eventually chased down by horses and police vehicles in a nearby golf-course. The final bloc, a group of roughly 100-200 delegates attempting to walk out of the UN Summit to join the people’s assembly, was severely beaten back by police on a bridge outside of the Bella Center Building. Many were arrested. The People’s Assembly, broadcast live over the Internet, remained a success, and as the UN negotiations continued to collapse from inside and outside, and baton swinging police appeared on TV, the Danish minister of environment, resigned from his position chairing the negotiations.