France Puts 24 Climate Activists Under House Arrest Ahead of COP21

[Judi Lynn]

Published on Saturday, November 28, 2015

by Common Dreams

France Puts 24 Climate Activists Under House Arrest Ahead of COP21

'A gross abuse of power that risks turning the summit into a farce'

by Common Dreams staff

French police have placed 24 activists under 'house arrest' ahead of the major UN climate warming COP21 talks starting near Paris next week.

The French interior ministry said Friday the government was trying to prevent the activists from demonstrating ahead of the COP21 conference, but their lawyers and Amnesty International accused the government of abusing the 'state of emergency' put into effect after the Paris attacks.

Three of those arrested are accused of belonging to the "radical opposition movement", according to Agence France Presse.

"They are banned from leaving their home town in western France without special police permission, they must report to a local police station three times a day and remain at their homes between 8:00 pm and 6:00 am until December 12, the day after the talks are due to end."

More:
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/11/28/france-puts-24-climate-activists-under-house-arrest-ahead-cop21

[enough]

1. Appalling. Not just criminalization of dissent, but PRE-criminalization of dissent. (nt)

Pure unadulterated fascism.

[pscot]

2. It would sure be a shame

if the Climate Summit were turned into a farce.

[OnlinePoker]

3. It's already a farce

40,000 delegates and activists flying from all over the world, spewing tonnes of GHG into the air for something that could be done through teleconferencing. They're all hypocrites.

[Nihil]

4. Yep. I was about to post a similar point.

> that risks turning the summit into a farce

No risk there: it is already guaranteed to be a meaningless farce simply because
the attendees who will get the publicity are self-serving politicians.

The politicians will do the same pathetic dance as in previous years - America
& China focussed on "growth", India on "we have a right to pollute" and no-one
paying the slightest attention to the Maldives (much less any scientists) - and
then they will all fly home with their tame press-corps and be greeted by the
coal & oil industries of their respective countries.

Still, at least it will be a Democratic President getting the photo-ops unlike in
Copenhagen ... oh ... that was 2009 wasn't it? ... Yay! "Hope" & "Change" forever!

The best thing that could happen to COP21 would be a fucking huge bomb to take
out the time-wasting bastards at the big photo-op (i.e., before any of the scientists
are allowed in to their sanctified presence).