{"id":31099,"date":"2015-12-14T01:38:30","date_gmt":"2015-12-13T14:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nofibs.com.au\/?p=31099"},"modified":"2019-04-16T13:31:17","modified_gmt":"2019-04-16T03:31:17","slug":"thousands-creatively-protest-for-climatejustice-in-paris-on-d12-as-cop21-concludes-reports-takvera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.nofibs.com.au\/thousands-creatively-protest-for-climatejustice-in-paris-on-d12-as-cop21-concludes-reports-takvera\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands protest for #climatejustice in Paris #D12 as #COP21 concludes reports @takvera"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Australian<\/a>

Australian Climate Angels at the redline for climate justice in Paris<\/p><\/div>\n

Even though the State of Emergency which prohibits large political protests is still in place, tens of thousands turned out on the streets of Paris for climate justice in various creative protests.<\/p>\n

The French state on Friday, relented, and allowed the protest to go ahead.<\/p>\n

\"23409142850_94d82ef12c_z\"<\/a>For two weeks activists had been planning a day for redlines for the climate emergency, to defy the state crackdown on the right to freedom of speech and assembly. <\/p>\n

Organisers had embarked on civil disobedience training of thousands of people at the Climate Action Zone in preparation for the day. The Climate emergency, it was argued, was far more important than the security restrictions imposed by the State of Emergency to protect citizens.<\/p>\n

Coalition organisers, Climate 21, estimated<\/a> 30,000 people participated in a rally and march from the Arc de Triumphe via the Trocadero to the Eiffel Tower. Just after 4pm organisers at the other event in Champs de Mars say<\/a> 20,000 people were in attendance.<\/p>\n

As a visitor to France it was one helluva way to see and visit some of the iconic sites of Paris, with 30,000 other people as my tour guides.<\/p>\n

On the metro the train was packed with people on the way to the protest. Squeeze a little more with every station stop to allow more to join.<\/p>\n

\"23076372394_465297419b_z\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We arrived at the Arc de Triumphe just in time to see the bike bloc turn up and go round the Arc de Triumphe. What a sight. Like Melbourne’s critical mass with a multitude of hand crafted signs and flags on colourful bikes and people.<\/p>\n

A choir entertained with songs opposite the Arc de Triumphe. For some reason the police would not let us go down the avenue. We had to walk down another avenue and then the side street to join the protest.<\/p>\n

\"Redlines<\/a>

Redlines from the Arc de Triumphe for climate justice<\/p><\/div> There were the solemn moments of unravelling the giant red ribbons along the avenue de la Grande Arm\u00e9e, laying them on the ground, and red tulips on top for the people already killed due to climate impacts and the many more to die in coming years.<\/p>\n

The particles, giant air filled cubes, bounced up and down the crowd like a wave along the avenue. <\/p>\n

There were marching bands, colourful banners and signs. The chants as we marched and songs. I have come to the conclusion we don’t get nearly enough songs on our marches in Australia.<\/p>\n

\"23678614606_65e4c8c3bc_z\"<\/a>The Climate Guardian angels, with red in their feathered wings, were at the front, facing the line of riot police. They brought a solemnity and grace to the proceedings. <\/p>\n

The Australian climate angels have entertained and intrigued Paris in their numerous appearances at iconic sites, events and protests over the last two weeks. They brought messages from the children of Australia on climate change, challenged politicians and diplomats outside at the start of the climate conference, intervened between CRS riot police and protestors when tensions were building. The combination of sense of theatre, art, and protest has brought a solemnity and grace to the climate justice movement in Paris. <\/p>\n

The clown bloc was also on hand to diffuse any tension between police and protestors.<\/p>\n

The riot police were pretty adamant we were not to go towards La Defense, the business district where many corporates have their headquarters. The climate angels and clowns served to dampen the tensions and as the march left we were squeezed down one of the streets to the left.<\/p>\n

The view of the Eiffel Tower as we came down from the Trocadero was amazing. It must have lifted the hearts of those people forming human chains already at the Champ de Mars event.<\/p>\n

The rally and human chains event at Champ de Mars had been organised by Alternatiba, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. “We are going to form large human chains and carry climate emergency and call to action messages to the people of the world. We will demonstrate with discovered faces, to stress the strictly non violent nature of our action.”<\/p>\n

As we crossed the River Seine at the Pont d’Ilena the climate angels and the front of the march conducted a sit-in on the bridge. There were a few speeches through mic-check. It was more about: this is our road, our space, our time, for climate justice. Move us if you dare.<\/p>\n

\"Sit-in<\/a>

Sit-in on the bridge over the Seine for climate justice<\/p><\/div>\n

Of course the Eiffel Tower, even in December, is an icon for tourists. Batoning and teargassing people sitting down would not be very good publicity.<\/p>\n

People around the edges drifted by to the other event, or to the kiosks to buy food or drink. Riot police stood around looking somewhat bored, checking out their phone messages.<\/p>\n

One of the problems was a police cordon that seperated the marchers from the Arc de Triumphe from the rally in the Champ de Mars, with bag checks necessary to filter from one to the other. Many of the marchers just didn’t progress to the rally at Champ de Mars.<\/p>\n

Eventually the sit-in on the bridge ended, with people voting to move under the Eiffel tower. The mood was festive, with singing and dancing.<\/p>\n

Indigenous leaders hold sunrise ceremony at Notre Dame<\/h3>\n

In the early morning hours, representatives from Indigenous nations of Circumpolar, Amazon, South Pacific and North America joined for a sunrise ceremony prayer at the foot of the historic Notre Dame Cathedral, on the Saturday morning. The ceremony was disrupted by Paris Police who came to the square and begun to remove banners.<\/p>\n

\n

Indigenous ceremony outside Notre Dame has begun #NICOP21<\/a> #REDLINES<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/IWxrjESvwM<\/a><\/p>\n

— Jess Worth (@jessworth) December 12, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n