A network of individuals, independent and alternative media activists and organisations, offering grassroots, non-corporate, non-commercial coverage of important social and political issues.

Climate Camp to stay in Trafalgar Square for duration of COP15

Greybeard | 07.12.2009 20:23 | COP15 Climate Summit 2009 | Climate Chaos | World

COP OUT CAMP OUT ongoing until 18th December!

On 5th December climate activists occupied Trafalgar Square in London. Initially the plan was to stay for 48 hours. The decision has now been taken to continue the occupation until the end of the Copenhagen summit. Direct action events are taking place daily, with the camp as a base. At the camp there are big banners, marquees and tripods. The Save Vesta's Magic Roundabout, evicted from the Isle of Wight, has moved to Trafalgar Square, to join up with the climate camp. It is hoped that this camp, within sight of the Houses of Parliament, will grow and become a centre of protest during this two week period. The more people who come to the camp, even for an hour or two, to show solidarity, the greater the impact will be.

Greybeard

Comments

Hide the following 15 comments

wow

07.12.2009 21:21

this is great. i think i can do something positive towards the cause now that im not going to copenhagen.....great news, keep it up.

Yep!

07.12.2009 21:33

Great idea! Occupation for people to come too and make plans, debate, take actions etc any time of day or night. Nice one! Hope it grows and people get into it. Wish I could be there....

07.12.2009 23:12

Could be good, but numbers are low. Please come and support this. The most conveniently situated Climate camp ever.

Semi-camper

Clarification

08.12.2009 08:12

In the above article I may have given the impression climate camp occupies the whole square. We don't - the usual seasonal activities continue in the square, but we have a highly visual presence. The "marquees" are a beautiful yurt and the big Vestas tent. The atmosphere in the camp is amazing. This is an amazing opportunity to do something significant and high profile during the Copenhagen summit. And yes, we do need more people to join us - come if you can!

Greybeard

Question

08.12.2009 09:21

What precisely is the point or aim of this action?

Questions

@Questions

08.12.2009 10:19

It's like man, to say we were there man. cool. We can sit around talking and feeling like it's really happening dude and we're getting shit done. Then we take lots of photos of ourselves there to show other people we were there man. Cause that's what it's all about, right? Showing we care. Doing fuck all, but SHOWING we care.

cough

convenient

08.12.2009 11:11

It is only conveniently sited if you are Londoner.

Although partly sceptical of climate camp, this seems a reasonable way to draw attention to the summit in Denmark - like the years long vigil outside South Africa House (on Trafalgar Sq) was a good way of showing solidarity and drawing attention to apartheid...I spent many a cold night there and on balance, it was worthwhile.

Just please do some actions, or at least plan some for a little time ahead and inspire people to go away and take action themselves!

Rosie

Rosie

cough cough

08.12.2009 11:14

um sorry, but in what way is taking actions just "showing" rather than doing... and in what way is dissing on indymedia doing rather than being a armchair activist?

if you have a genuine critique based on the idea that this camp is too much talk and not enough action, get down there and spread ideas for actions or join in with those being planned...

no?

more on the why

08.12.2009 11:16

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/12/442897.html is the previous very brief article plus one comment from me explaining a little more what the camp is about, and did in the first few hours....

Peer Pressure and Climate change in place of real change...

08.12.2009 11:45

While I don't buy into climate change as a direct result of fossil fuels, I KNOW that environmental damage, degradation and abuse that arise from Industrial Societies processes is causing untold harm TODAY, now, and has been for a long time.... The same people, in Government and in Industry, who use war as a tool of policy, also create poverty and famine by their policies, which are NOT included as part of the Climate debate at Government level.... and few in the climate movement dare to bring these subjects up for analysis or discussion.

The relationship between industrial society and nature is one of abuse, control and conceit, as much as the relationship between the slaves taken from Africa and those who took them, as much as the workers in Chinese factories and those who employ them, as much as the transfer of dirty technology to China was a direct result of a combination of Eco-activism in the US, the desire to maximise profits with cheap labour....

It would appear that most of the people who were part of Seattle, Genoa etc etc and who were part of the international anti-war movement have been side lined by a well orchestrated media/government campaign that has taken their eyes of the ball....

Inability to resist peer pressure is one of the results of conditioning - activist who do not address their own conditioning can and will be manipulated.

conor cruise o'brian

bottled water, gawd love 'em

08.12.2009 11:59

great photo on the climate camp website, of Trafalgar Square and a load of (what looks like) bought bottles of water - anyone told you about the climate impact of bottled water!! You'd have thought that wouldn't be a photo to display prominently, to pretend! At least try and get 5 litre bottles, or get them refilled - in the old days, we'd even heard of these things called water butts, and would bring them along. It's not rocket science

cynic

@PP

08.12.2009 12:30

You call me an 'armchair activist' - you clearly don't know me. If I'm daring to criticise the pointless sitting out in Trafalgar Sq, it's because I know I'm spending so much fuckin time, energy (and court fines) on trying to attack the big polluters and stop the devastation of this planet. I criticise because there aren't enough people willing to get off their show-off arses and take action. And I don't count standing in front of a building with a placard, taking action.

cough

It's all good

08.12.2009 14:48

Questions: "What precisely is the point or aim of this action?"
- It is a base from which DIRECT ACTION is being organised and carried out on a daily basis, come and see for yourself and get involved!
- It is reclaiming space and demonstrating alternative ways of living, consensus decision making, etc.
- It is highly visible and outreach teams are talking to passers-by and so on in friendly, non-combative ways to talk about why climate change is such an important issue, why 'our global leaders'' solutions will not work, and why urgent, direct aciton is needed.
- It is an immensely fun and friendly environment. Fun things are good to do.

I think that answers most of the cynics questions, fair enough for asking, but perhaps now we can all get involved and make it threatening and radical. Even if you are cynical of it, it is a unique opportunity to have base from which all kinds of actions can take place.

And certainly no bottled water was consumed when I was there (I plan to return on Thursday for a few more nights, and keep coming back and forth). Washing up etc. was all done with water from the public toilets, and that is what uses the vast bulk of the water. Yes there were large water butts there.

This could be a genuinely pivotal event in the future of radical organising around climate change. It may well not be, but it has great potential because of the situation. If all those who are unsure about coming, or are cynical come along it could become the start of something quite big. Let's make sure that happens.

happyanarchy

EDL Supporter

09.12.2009 12:04

Hope the police smash you all over London, people who don't wash are spreading disease and should be educated, you're all vermin.

EDL Supporter

why so bitter?

09.12.2009 21:27

Reading some of these comments on here make me sad.
Everyone can take part in commenting, demonstrating, direct action (what ever they take that to mean) in any way that they are comfortable with doing.
Just because you go storming up a chimney or holding up a train doesn't make you a better activist then someone who thinks that being visible and educating/talking to people about issues is a better sort of activism.
We need all types of activism and one thing good about Climate camp is that they do talk rather than scream over each other, they listen as well and take group decisions seriously, which is something we are asking the government to do right? We also need people to take over power stations and risk their sanity doing things that others would slate them for. So why are you so bitter towards each other?

When i see this i really don't think we stand a hope in hell. Fighting among ourselves over stupid things is just what they want us to do. Stop arguing and get on with what ever floats your boat, I can see why he called you an armchair activist though, because you sounded like a whinging daily mail reader not some big shot 'real activist' whatever that is...

Suurpepu

UK Indymedia