Hollande called on to lift ban on protests at climate summit
Global Justice Now press release |
26 November 2015 |
30 November.
An international coalition of NGOs, civil society groups and political figures such as Naomi Klein and Susan George have called on the French president to lift the ban on protests during the COP 21 climate talks in Paris, which is due to start on the Following November’s terror attacks in Paris, the French government has imposed a temporary state of emergency that has prevented any protests from taking place in France. The local coaltion of NGOs and trade unions in in France, Climat 21, had planned a series of protests in Paris before, during and at the end of the climate talks which have now been banned. Nick Dearden, the director of Global Justice Now said: “People from all over the world are flocking to Paris to have their voices heard on one of the most urgent challenges of our lifetime – the threat of climate change. It is essential that there is robust participation from civil society during the climate talks and that world leaders are held accountable for how they engage with the issue. One of the aims of terrorists in carrying out atrocities like we have seen in Paris is to attempt to disrupt and derail how ordinary people go about their lives. The French authorities have said that ‘life must go one’ with regards to public occasions like football matches, and we call on President Hollande to use similar logic in standing strong against these attacks by allowing people the fundamental right to protest on crucially important issues like climate change during the UN talks.” Dear Mr President We want to express our sympathy with the French people for the terrorist attacks that took place last weekend. The barbaric attacks on civilians in Paris, Ankara, Bamako and Beirut in recent weeks are the latest terrible symptoms of a world economy experiencing multiple crises. One of those crises is climate change. As you will be aware, we have driven our planet to the verge of environmental catastrophe. The impacts are being felt everywhere to a greater or lesser degree. Indeed the conflict in Syria was partly fuelled by climatic events. And unless we start enacting very different policies, climate change will increasingly fuel war, migration, poverty and dispossession. That's why many of us are coming to Paris in the next fortnight - to demand world leaders begin the radical transformation to a low carbon economy, with serious financing to assist less industrialised countries to build societies without resort to fossil fuels. We understand that the challenge is huge. It isn't possible for politicians to carry out the changes needed without massive movements and mobilisations creating political space and will. For this reason we are deeply concerned by the decision of your government to prohibit the mobilisations in Paris during COP21. This will make it extremely difficult for ordinary citizens of the world to make their voices heard and to create the political space necessary to build a brighter future. We believe this strips the COP process of its legitimacy. We urge you to reconsider the decision to prohibit the demonstrations in Paris. We understand the need to keep citizens safe, including those mobilising on climate change. It must be possible to find a way to do this short of banning our demonstrations. Many other mass events and gatherings continue to happen in Paris on a daily basis. We would also like to ensure that the police treat us with dignity and that you send a clear message that our civil liberties be respected. We must not suspend democracy and freedom while proclaiming our commitment to democracy and freedom. A peaceful world can only be built on equality, solidarity and sustainability. We must be able to say this in Paris. Yours, Naomi Klein, writer Avi Lewis, filmmaker Shalmali Guttal, researcher and writer Susan George, writer Global Justice Now, UK Bolivian Platform on Climate Change Focus on the Global South Fondacion Solon, Bolivia Friends of the Earth, Scotland Ecologistas en Acción (Spain) Ekoloji Kolektifi / Ecology Collective Association, Turkey Iniciativa Construyendo Puentes - Redes de Latinoamerica frente al cambio climatico Campaign against Climate Change, UK Bharat Jan Vigyan Jatha, India Public & Commercial & Service Union, UK Attac Japan Transnational Institute Engajamundo, Brazil Beyond Copenhagen collective, India End Ecocide on Earth Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development Our Rivers, Our Life (OROL) – Philippines Corporate Europe Observatory IBON International Philippine Movement for Climate Justice Friends of the Earth Sweden Public Advocacy Initiatives for Rights & Values in India (PAIRVI) Energy and Climate Policy Institute for Just Transition, Korea UK Tar Sands Network Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO), Phillipines Platform, UK Sanlakas, Philippines Planet Defenders, Brazil DeSmog, UK Labor/Community Strategy Center, USA WomanHealth, Phillipines New Internationalist, UK Institute for Policy Studies, Climate Policy Program, USA York Climate Action, UK Ecological Society of the Philippines |