House arrest for Paris activists

Written By: - Date published: 11:24 am, November 29th, 2015 - 21 comments
Categories: activism, climate change, global warming, human rights - Tags: , , ,

I’ll be heading off to the Dunedin climate march soon. A basic right which is being denied to activists in Paris:

Paris climate activists put under house arrest using emergency laws

French police arrest activists for flouting ban on organising protests during climate talks next week

At least 24 climate activists have been put under house arrest by French police, accused of flouting a ban on organising protests during next week’s Paris climate summit, the Guardian has learned.

One legal adviser to the activists said many officers raided his Paris apartment and occupied three floors and a staircase in his block.

French authorities did not respond to requests for comment but lawyers said that the warrants were issued under state of emergency laws, imposed after the terror attacks that killed 130 people earlier this month.

The author and climate change campaigner, Naomi Klein, accused French authorities of “a gross abuse of power that risks turning the summit into a farce”.

Joel Domenjoud, a legal activist, said that he had been served with a restraining order wrongly describing him as a “principal leader of the ultra-left movement” just hours after a judge refused to hear an appeal against the ban on the climate demo that he had petitioned for. …

Since when is believing that we should try and protect the environment “ultra-left”? Isn’t it just, you know, rational?

The action required to address climate change will require all of us, a sense of unity and purpose. Why are the so called leaders meeting at COP21 so afraid of public demonstrations? Those people who want to take to the streets supposedly have the same goals as the conference itself. The heavy-handed overreaction to public demonstrations that has surrounded all of these climate talks is the worst kind of small-minded authoritarianism.


The image on the front page is from the Copenhagen talks

Copenhagen-arrested

21 comments on “House arrest for Paris activists ”

  1. One Two 1

    It’s time people began to look for the power which exists, behind events

    Face value acceptance will only serve to fuel the destruction of life enabling systems

  2. Draco T Bastard 2

    Since when is believing that we should try and protect the environment “ultra-left”? Isn’t it just, you know, rational?

    Reality has a radical Left-wing bias don’t you know. Which is why the RWNJs always go around denying reality by ignoring the evidence.

  3. Gabby 3

    Well they’re possibly concerned they might get themselves machinegunned while out and about.

  4. Colonial Viper 4

    This is the future of what our new anti-terrorism and spying laws will be used for: crushing democratic dissent. Maybe Labour should pay attention to this fact before voting even more powers through for the Deep State.

    • Tracey 4.1

      ^^^^^^ this

      We are on the slippery slope. Not and the beginning, and not I fear, the end. We are somewhere between the two… and I feel no safer or more vulnerable from the changes Nats have made to erode our freedoms.

      • RedLogix 4.1.1

        And it’s not been mentioned much, but all the fuss over the past few weeks regarding Australia deporting kiwis back to NZ, is a wholly new consequence of legislation Abbott passed just early this year – rammed through the Federal Parliament under the guise of ‘fighting terrorism’.

        Incidentally in the past hour I’ve just had a conversation with a Labour Federal Minister on this exact matter. She was sympathetic, but also a bit underinformed.

        Also pertinent:

        http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/the-fatal-flaws-in-tony-abbotts-counterterrorism-citizenship-plan-20150526-gha6ir.html

      • Macro 4.1.2

        Yes totally agree with this assessment. If the UK is any indication of where we are headed, then we are in for a lot more incursions into our human rights in the so called “protection from terrorist”. We have a lot to fear – and it s not from the terrorist.

        • Tracey 4.1.2.1

          Yup and the thing about the slippery slope is that by the time enough people realise where we have gone it will be like douglas in 84′ decades to turn it back.

          We need a BLiP post specifically listing the incursions into our freedoms in the last 7 years. A list might paint quite the picture.

        • Colonial Viper 4.1.2.2

          the members of the FVEY grouping of which NZ is a long time member seem to frequently share “best practices” when it comes to methods of exercising societal control.

  5. Don’t tell me y’all thought that the GCSB and the anti terror laws were there to protect us from the “terrorists”!

    Military operation Southern Katipo which just ended on the South Island was all about civilian dissent and how to crush it! Yep, that is the military crushing civilian dissent! Right here in New Zealand with 8 other NATO aligned countries including France. But conspiring? Neh, our governments love us! They would never do that to us. We have REAL democracies!

  6. Ad 6

    Makes you wonder exactly what France stands for, which is fairly important when you are begging the world to unite behind you in the name of … insert whatever abstract noun you like about Freedom, Hope, Liberty, Equality and Riot Shields.

  7. Richard Christie 7

    Just wait, “ultra left” will soon replace ‘hard left” in Hooton’s lexicon.

  8. Don't worry. Be happy 8

    It’s the filthy rich versus Mother Earth.

  9. Dont worry.be happy 9

    Getting so pissed with my posts vanishing

    [r0b: A couple of comments held in moderation – not sure why. As far as I can tell nothing has “vanished”.]

  10. Mike the Savage One 10

    It shows us how some governments in power just take advantage of the terror attacks that happen here and there, to stifle public dissent and to disallow gatherings, like protests, all for “security reasons”.

    I am waiting for an incident that will cause John Key to announce a state of emergency here one day soon. What may give him reason to do this, the spy services have already been boosted with extra funding and more permitted activities under our law.

    The trend is clear.

  11. Neil 11

    I wonder how long it will be before Key starts doing the same here.

  12. David 13

    It’s not the governments meeting at COP21 that are so worried here in Paris. It is the French hosts, who are understandably very spooked. This is disturbing, but it doesn’t justify pessimism for the Paris talks.

    (Yes, I’m in Paris. No, I didn’t get tear gassed today. Well, not much.)

  13. tracey 14

    So, Paris St Germaine play football at the Parc des Princes

    Capacity = 49,691

    So, further home games will be in fron tof emplty stadiums, right? No streams of 49,000 walking (a kind of marching) in and out of the stadium before and after the game. Right? For their own safety. Right?

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