2009

We're pushing to stay inside the talks
16 December 2009

Things are moving very fast here. If you can say that about a sit-down protest.

We're sitting inside the main venue for the climate talks, the Bella Centre. But our immediate future here hangs in the balance.

Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN climate convention, came out a few minutes ago to explain why he was considering excluding Friends of the Earth International.

He said he'd had intelligence that we were going to be involved in a mass walk-out from the talks. It's not true.

He's invited a small delegation of Friends of the Earth people to go and see him.

We're awaiting the outcome.

Meanwhile, the press are not being allowed to interview us - though they can take pictures.

Worrying trend 

This has all happened in a week where the UNFCCC have been clamping down on NGO and civil society access to the climate talks.

The UN organisers had already said they will cut the number of observers, academics, unions and campaign groups like us from 20,000 yesterday to 7,000 today.

So we got to the conference venue, the Bella Center, really early this morning.  

Stood in the freezing cold - just like the January sales. Though today's special offer isn't too desirable.

We wanted to be sure we got in - to continue our work here. The work you and hundreds of thousands are expecting us to do.

My pass didn't get me through the security gates. Gradually it emerged that no one registered by Friends of the Earth could get in.

Andy Atkins said our exclusion is "draconian and completely unjustified".

"If this is a consequence of our role as one of the most prominent groups calling for a strong and fair agreement, this is even more disturbing."

You can help us overturn the ban.

 

Sit-down protest, Copenhagen

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