5 - Climate Justice Activism

Summary

It was clear by November that Copenhagen was going to attract a different kind of activism than previous meetings. The head of the Police Intelligence Service in Copenhagen made a public statement claiming that “violent extremists will try to abuse and get a free ride on the peaceful activist involvement in the climate debate” (van der Zee 2009b). This fear of violence led to preemptive police action. One participant described a raid on activist sleeping quarters:

Last night at about 2:30 a.m. we were all sleeping [in the warehouse] and the [expletive] cops came and woke us all up. They locked us in, and then they raided our supply room. I guess we should have seen it coming – they just came in and raided us. [JH: What did they take?] Like, the riot shields we had been making, some stuff they said could be used to help us get over the fence or in violent activities. They were harassing us too – they handcuffed some people and were telling us that we didn't have a permit to be there. But they [expletive] know that we do, they were just trying to scare us. A lot of people were really frightened and alarmed. And it makes me wonder what we can expect when we go out in the streets on Wednesday.

(Interview, Climate Justice Action 2009)

As the quote illustrates, contentious organizations operate in a different world than conventional groups. Individuals participating in contentious groups spent most of their time during Copenhagen planning protest strategies, making banners and props, attending the alternative climate forum, speaking to the press, and developing contacts with other activists. Not only does the repertoire of contentious collective action employed by these groups differ dramatically, but they are also engaged in a highly confrontational relationship with political authorities that gives their activism a very different character.