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Copenhagen climate activists found guilty
Two Danish activists who took part in the Copenhagen climate demonstrations last December have been found guilty of organizing and instigating violence and vandalism, and have both been given four-month suspended sentences. One of the three judges in the case disagreed with the verdict.
Tannie Nyboe and Stine Gry Jonassen were both spokespeople for the Climate Justice Action group, part of the network involved in some of the demonstrations in Copenhagen during the UN's COP15 climate summit. They have been convicted of four charges, including inciting violence against the police, serious disturbance of the police, interfering with police in the course of their work and destruction of property.
The case against them was based, controversially, on evidence gathered by tapping their phones before the conference, and also on video footage taken during the "Reclaim Power" demonstration on 16 December.
On that day, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside the Bella Center where the conference was taking place, with the stated aim of getting as near as possible to the center and meeting with delegates, in order to hold an alternative "people's summit". During a scuffle with police, Nyboe and Jonassen were filmed standing on a lorry shouting "push" into microphones. Over the course of the trial their supporters posted photographs of themselves holding signs reading: "I too shouted push!"