The march – several blocks and hours long – gathered activists from all over the world who walked miles making their demands heard. “System Change, Not Climate Change”, “Climate Justice Now”, and “The people united will never be defeated”, were some of the slogans chanted many times in several languages.

Surrounded by hundreds of police officers who gave the impression of insecurity, the march was absolutely peaceful and the demonstrators did not cease to voice their demands, turning it into one of the largest demonstrations against climate change ever made.

The peasants, indigenous peoples, environmental activists, women groups, groups of people affected by climate change from the South, activists of all kinds and general public, carried out a march filled with calls and demands, music and joy for feeling “the power is in the peoples’ hands”.

The police cordoned the so called Black Bloc, a direct action group that is present in several European countries. Over 400 people were arrested, including many activists who were demonstrating peacefully in demand for their rights. The Black Bloc had not caused any damages, as far as we know. According to information provided to Real World Radio, many people who had been arrested were released later that day.

Friends of the Earth International was already news on Saturday morning. The FoEI activists from different regions of the world led by NOAH – Friends of the Earth Denmark, called 5,000 to participate in the “Flood for Climate Justice” in Copenhagen.

Under the watchwords “Climate Justice Now” and “No to Carbon Offsetting”, the crowd dressed in blue pretended to be a human wave to send a clear message to the decision makers.

Carbon offsetting – through which developed countries avoid reducing emissions domestically by funding socially and environmentally unsustainable projects in the Global South under the excuse that these would reducing their polluting emissions – are unfair and fail to lead to actual reductions, says Friends of the Earth. Some of those projects are tree plantations, carbon capture and storage in trees and mega dams.

The “Flood for Climate Justice” began outside the Klimaforum, the civil society climate conference, with speeches by Friends of the Earth International chair, Nnimmo Bassey, La Via Campesina’s general coordinator, Henry Saragih and a member of the World March of Women, Amparo Miciano.

The flood also took the messages of communities directly affected by climate change, or struggling against the false solutions like carbon offsetting. These messages are also part of the “climate capsule”, which is on exhibition at the Klimaforum and was carried out by Friends of the Earth International.

Photo: Real World Radio
2009 Real World Radio / Friends of the Earth