- Title: Thousands march for climate action in Brussels ahead of COP26
- Date: 10th October 2021
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (OCTOBER 10, 2021) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS MARCHING, HOLDING PLACARDS AND BANNERS VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS MARCHING BY EU COMMISSION HEADQUARTERS PEOPLE MARCHING DEMONSTRATION IN PROGRESS DEMONSTRATORS MARCHING THROUGH FINANCIAL DISTRICT PROTESTERS MARCHING SIGN READING (French): "Grandpa, what is snow?" PROTESTERS MARCHING, CHANTING YOUNG PROTESTERS CHANTING PROTESTERS LOOKING AT PEOPLE MARCHING PROTESTERS MARCHING, HOLDING PLACARDS YOUNG CYCLIST TAKING PART IN PROTEST EUROPEAN FLAGS FLYING OUTSIDE EUROPEAN COMMISSION CYCLISTS RIDING BY EUROPEAN COMMISSION BUILDING (SOUNDBITE) (French) PROTESTER FROM WAVRE AND RETIRED MEDICAL DOCTOR, MARTINE CHAPUT, 69, SAYING: "What I want to say is that a lot has been done against the COVID-19 (pandemic). It was said to be urgent, urgent, urgent. I don't know if we chose the right path, but we chose a path. Actions have been taken. Regarding the climate, we have been told for years that we must act. If we had had the same dynamism for the climate, we would not be where we are today. It is time for people to sort things out by order of priority and climate is the top priority." (SOUNDBITE) (French) PROTESTER FROM TOURNAI, JEAN-LUC DESMET, 68, SAYING: "It is important to act now before it is too late. We have received the (first part of the) last report from the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). COP (26) will take place in Glasgow soon, so it is really very important that we put pressure on politicians so they finally understand that the population is waiting for a change and for general awareness." (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROTESTER FROM GHENT AND PROFESSIONAL VIOLINIST, ELISABETH FRAEYMAN, 24, SAYING: "The message we want to spread is just: 'be conscious about (climate change)'. Even a little thing like becoming vegetarian or taking a bike or public transport can help already. You don't have to move heaven and earth to do it." VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING OPPOSITE BRUSSELS LANDMARK "NATIONAL BASILICA OF THE SACRED HEART IN KOEKELBERG" PLACARD READING (French): "We save the planet" MARCH IN PROGRESS PLACARD READING (English): "The snow must go on" (PUN ON BRITISH POP BAND QUEEN'S SONG 'THE SHOW MUST GO ON') PROTESTER PUSHING STROLLER CHILDREN MARCHING PROTESTERS MARCHING OPPOSITE EU COUNCIL BUILDING
- Embargoed: 24th October 2021 16:35
- Keywords: Belgium Brussels COP26 Climate change Demonstration EU capital European Union Glasgow Protest climate march
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- City: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Topics: Environment,Europe
- Reuters ID: LVA001EYKQR7R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Some 25,000 took the streets of the Belgian capital Brussels on Sunday (October 10) to call for climate action ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26), according to local police.
More than 80 groups including Greenpeace, Oxfam and trade unions, gathered in the city centre around 1100 GMT and started marching towards the European institutions.
One of them, a retired medical doctor from the French-speaking region of Wallonia, said she wished political leaders acted on climate with the same urgency they handled the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It is time for people to sort things out by order of priority and climate is the top priority," said Martine Chaput, 69.
Coming from the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders, Elisabeth Fraeyman said she took part in the protest to encourage people to take climate action at their level.
"Even a little thing like becoming vegetarian or taking a bike or public transport can help already. You don't have to move heaven and earth to do it," said the 24-year-old violinist from the picturesque city of Ghent.
World leaders are due to meet at the COP26 global climate conference in Glasgow from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 to try to flesh out commitments made in Paris in 2015 aimed at stabilising the planet's climate and to speed up action to limit climate change.
(Production: Clement Rossignol) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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