Campaign for the Release of Tadzio Mueller and Other Climate Prisoners in Copenhagen Continues: 4,000 Signatories to Petition; Delegations to Danish Embassies in Berlin, London and San Francisco

The Berlin delegation consisted of Mona Bricke (climate activist with Gegenstrom Berlin and UN Climate Conference delegate), Katja Kipping (Member of the German Bundestag and Deputy Leader of the Left Party, Germany), Corinna Genschel (Committee for Basic Rights and Democracy), and Ben Trott (editor, Turbulence: Ideas for Movement). The delegation met with a representative of the Embassy, expressed their concerns, and hand delivered the petition.

The London delegation were met by the London Metropolitan Police and a security guard. They were denied entry to the building and Embassy officials refused to meet with them, despite prior notice having been given. The petition was read out in full and left with the security guard. David Harvie, also of Turbulence and who was part of the London delegation, said, “The refusal of any member of diplomatic staff to meet us or even allow us across their threshold was disrespectful. In a small way it mirrors the attempts of the Danish government to suppress free expression in Copenhagen and of the United Nations to silence those demanding climate justice inside the COP process.”

Katja Kipping of the German Left Party said, “I demand the immediate release of Tadzio Mueller and all those still in custody. I am especially worried about the use of preventive arrest. This allows the police to act arbitrarily. 1,700 preventive arrests show that people’s right to public assembly is being effectively contested, and, in Tadzio’s case, that the organisation of legitimate protest is being criminalised.”

Ben Trott, who edits the magazine Turbulence: Ideas for Movement with Tadzio Mueller said, “Tadzio has been arrested for advocating civil disobedience. Yet it is obvious that civil disobedience has an important role to play to in the kinds of far-reaching change needed to properly and justly respond to the climate crisis. Al Gore and NASA’s James Hansen have pretty much said the same thing. Either release Tadzio and the others, or arrest Al Gore.”

The climate activist Mona Bricke said, “Tadzio and I were both accredited for the UN Climate Conference, through the organisation A SEED. Tadzio was arrested after a press conference inside the Bella Centre, and A SEED’s entire accreditation was revoked, similarly to that of the complete delegation of Friends of the Earth. When on Wednesday 300 UNFCCC delegates attempted to leave the Conference Centre to join the People’s Assembly outside, they were forcefully prevented from doing so by both Danish police and UN guards. I was shocked by the degree of violence that was used against these people, whom the UNFCCC had accredited to take part in their conference.”

Notes to the Editor

1) For background information, see the Turbulence press release from Thursday 17 December 2009 and the online petition, which can both be found via: www.turbulence.org.uk

2) Emma Dowling, a lecturer in Ethics, Governance and Accountability at the University of London who took part in the London delegation is available for press enquiries: 0044 7967 111 234.

3) The full text of the online petition can be found here: http://www.petitiononline.com/Tadzio/petition.html

4) Signatories of the petition include: Naomi Klein (author of No Logo and The Shock Doctrine); Rebecca Solnit (author of A Paradise Built in Hell); Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri (authors of the books Empire, Multitude, and Commonwealth); Dr. Simon Lewis (University of Leeds and UN accredited science advisor in COP15); Christine Buchholz, Ulla Jelpke and Alexander Ulrich (Left Party Members of the German Bundestag); Halina Wawzyniak and Katja Kipping (Left Party Members of the German Bundestag and Deputy Leaders of the Left Party, Germany); Gabriele Zimmer (MEP, Left Party, Germany); Sven-Christian Kindler (Member of the German Bundestag, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen); Jan Philipp Albrecht (MEP, Green Party, Germany); Frieder Otto Wolf (former German Green Party MEP); Gesine Agena (Spokeswoman, Green Party Youth, Germany); Walden Bello (Member of Congress, Philippines); Olivier Besancenot (New Anti-Capitalist Party, France); Lindsey German (Convenor, Stop the War Coalition UK); Hilary Wainwright (Red Pepper); Elke Steven (Committee for Basic Rights and Democracy, Germany); Wu Ming (authors of Q and Manituana); Peer Stolle (Management Board of the Republikanischer Anwaeltinnen- und Anwaelteverein); Moema Miranda (coordinator, The Brazilian Institute of Social and Economic Analysis – IBASE); Susan George (Honorary President Attac France); artists Adrian Ghenie and Danica Phelps as well as Turner Prize shortlisted Tacita Dean and Turner Prize winner Douglas Gordon; Jimmy McGovern (screenwriter); and the NGO network Friends of the Earth International.