- Title: Climate activists brave downpour, block bridge in Paris
- Date: 8th October 2019
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 8, 2019) (REUTERS) VANDALISED ROAD SIGN WITH MESSAGE READING (French): "CAPITALISM WILL NEVER BE GREEN", WITH TENTS IN BACKGROUND TENTS ON STREET WITH SAINT-JACQUES TOWER BEHIND TENTS ON STREET PROTESTER WALKING IN SPACE BLANKET TO KEEP WARM AFTER CAMPING OUTSIDE THE PREVIOUS NIGHT VARIOUS OF TENTS WITH SIGN READING (French): "HERE, WE CULTIVATE" PROTESTERS SITTING ON STRAW UNDER TARPAULIN 22-YEAR-OLD EXTINCTION REBELLION MEMBER, LOUISE, AND HER FRIENDS UNDER TARPAULIN (SOUNDBITE) (French) 22-YEAR-OLD EXTINCTION REBELLION MEMBER, LOUISE, SAYING: "It's important for me because I don't want to die, like everyone. I don't want to die, I don't want there to be wars, famine, climate refugees, which there already are in other places." VARIOUS OF 22-YEAR-OLD EXTINCTION REBELLION MEMBER, JULIE, FASTENING EXTINCTION REBELLION SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (French) 22-YEAR-OLD EXTINCTION REBELLION MEMBER, JULIE, SAYING: "We brought lots of supplies. We had tents, duvets, lots of tarpaulins to protect us from the rain, et cetera. And then we help each other a lot, because not everyone necessarily has a tent, a duvet. So we lend each other things, we alternate in tents so that everyone can sleep." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HANGING FISHING NET BETWEEN LAMP POSTS TO BLOCK BRIDGE (SOUNDBITE) (French) 25-YEAR-OLD EXTINCTION REBELLION MEMBER, GASPARD, SAYING: "(Our demands) are simple. It's carbon neutrality as quickly as possible, by 2025, to limit global warming and to respect the Paris accord, to simply respect what our country has committed to do. It's also to do everything to fight a drop in biodiversity, because we know that in France, we have lost 70 percent of insects in 30 years. It's also to put in place a citizens' assembly, because for us, it's obvious that we can only take on the challenge if democracy is reformed." TENTS IN STREET TENT WITH SIGN READING (French): "WE ARE NON-VIOLENT" BLOCKED-OFF PONT AU CHANGE BRIDGE IN CENTRAL PARIS WITH EXTINCTION REBELLION SIGNS ATTACHED AND TOURIST BOAT PASSING UNDERNEATH BRIDGE WITH EXTINCTION REBELLION SIGNS AND PEOPLE WALKING CHATELET FOUNTAIN WITH EXTINCTION REBELLIONS SIGNS ATTACHED, MAN SWEEPING STRAW ON GROUND FOUNTAIN WITH SIGN READING (French): "RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISM"
- Embargoed: 22nd October 2019 13:50
- Keywords: Climate change Extinction Rebellion protest tents River Seine camp global warming
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B08LLJB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Hundreds of activists from climate group Extinction Rebellion camped under the rain on Tuesday (October 8) on the second day of a blockade of a bridge and a thoroughfare in central Paris.
Protesters calling for governmental climate action and a citizens' assembly on climate change have been occupying the area around Chatelet station, Paris' main transport interchange, since Monday (October 7) morning.
Wearing raincoats and huddling together under tarpaulins to avoid the rain, the activists, including many young students, drank coffee and chanted together to boost morale after a night camping amid the downpour.
Protesters also blocked Paris' Pont au Change bridge with netting and a full-sized sailboat, spreading straw around and writing messages on the ground.
The Paris protest is part of a series of blockades and civil disobedience actions Extinction Rebellion is holding in around 60 major cities around the world in the month of October.
In London, police had arrested 217 activists from Extinction Rebellion as they blocked bridges and roads in the city centre on Monday, with some activists gluing themselves to cars. In Berlin, demonstrators had halted traffic at the Victory Column roundabout.
(Production: Martin Esposito, Kathryn Carlson) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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