Into the exclusion zone at the G8
Update: Just found more footage and photos on der Spiegel.
Update 2: Just got good news, some severe bruising and one activist will have to stay in the hospital a bit longer - but no serious injuries. The boats and 19 people remain in police custody.
Climate change is a global emergency. Yet, despite the mountains of scientific evidence, that message apparently isn't getting through to our world leaders. Today, Blair seemed to cave to Bush on the idea of the G8 agreeing to specific carbon dioxide reduction targets. Without specific goals it's all talk, mutual backslapping and more procrastination - just what the Bush administration wants.
So this morning, 24 Greenpeace activists, using 11 speedboats took the message "G8: Act Now!" to the waters around the Heilingendamm summit. They entered the outer restricted area at 11am, informing the police as they did so. They came in from both east and west sides, entering into the inner restricted zone 10 minutes later.
From our press release:
The activists tried to deliver a petition calling for clear commitments on climate change, which governments have so far failed to agree at this Summit. Some were stopped by police, and some boats are still in the water. Two Greenpeace inflatables were knocked over by police, injuring three activists, who are on their way to hospital.
At the summit (or relatively nearby to be more accurate) Greenpeace policy advisor Daniel Mittler said, "The G8 countries have caused most of climate change - they must face up to their responsibility. The real world on the other side of the 8 foot high razor wire fence is tired of empty words and demands action now."
A Swedish TV station has footage from a helicopter. About half way through the footage here, you can clearly see a larger police boat running over a Greenpeace inflatable.
Comments
It's a swedish TV station.
Posted by: peter | June 7, 2007 3:14 PM
dramatic footage indeed, how are the injured activists doing?
Posted by: Eric | June 7, 2007 3:37 PM
Parabéns!!!
Vocês ativistas merecem o nosso respeito,admiração e agradecimento.
Espero que esteja tudo bem com os ativistas feridos.
Obrigado em nome de todos os SERES HUMANOS.
Juliana Brasileira
Posted by: Juliana | June 7, 2007 5:09 PM
If it's possible to pass a message to those in custody, please tell them they made many people very proud today.
In days like these, I know why I support Greenpeace.
Posted by: Juliette | June 7, 2007 6:19 PM
""you can clearly see a larger police boat running over a Greenpeace inflatable."" Dont blame the police for your bad judgement and disrespect for politicians sequrity. How should they know if it is an real threat or not? This kinda actions only forces them to be more violent.. at your cost. No one wins.
GREENPEACE COMMENT:
We informed the police before enetering the zone that this was a peaceful protest. There was no need for them to get violent.
Posted by: Robert | June 7, 2007 7:01 PM
I saw it on Norwegian TV, too, much clearer, really. The police boat was ON the Greenpeace boat. It's amazing that no one was killed.
Posted by: Amos Keppler | June 8, 2007 2:47 AM
We were shocked when we saw the German police boat go right over the two protesters in the Greenpeace boat. We thought the propeller would have cut them in half. This was televised on BBC news last night and not one journalist questioned the police's violent behaviour. This was totally unnecessary and we are just glad that no one was killed.
Posted by: Karen Harper | June 8, 2007 10:02 PM