Greenpeace Activists Attacked During Friendly Mine Protest in Western Poland
Two weeks before the the UN Climate Negotiations resume in Poznan, Poland, a journalist accompanying Greenpeace activists was beaten by mine workers during a peaceful protest. Greenpeace is calling for Poland, one of the 20 biggest emitters of CO2 in the world, to decrease its own carbon emissions and overcome its addiction to coal so it can play a constructive role in EU and global international policy making. Available video includes footage of the protest and violent polish mine workers.
Shotlist:
Shotlist
Konin area - Poland - Nov 24 2008
1. Excavator machine at work
2. Conveyor belt feeder
3. Conveyor belt transferring coal
4. Hands holding lignite
5. Greenpeace activists climbing down to the mine on rope
6. Greenpeace activists walking towards the excavator
7. Violent confrontation by mine workers against the Greenpeace activists i.
8. Violent confrontation by mine workers against the Greenpeace activists ii.
9. Greenpeace activists trying to create 'stop' sign on the ground
10. Mine workers blocking Greenpeace protest
11. Wide shot bulldozer approaching the group of activists
12. Bulldozer ploughing through activists holding banners
13. Bulldozer comes to a halt
14. As bulldozer backs up, mine worker tears Greenpeace banner
15. Greenpeace activists holding 'quit coal' banner with excavator machine in the background
16. Zoom out from Greenpeace activists holding 'quit coal' banner to wide shot of bulldozer stopped in front of them
17. Police cars arriving
18. Greenpeace activists detained in a people carrier vehicle. 'quit coal' banners on the windows.
19. Soundbite (english) Jacek Winiarski- Greenpeace, saying:
"We are on the edge of the Konin pit mine. Our activists got down there to write a big STOP sign front of the digging machine. It was a protest against burning the coal and extracting the coal from the mine like the one behind me. They were stopped violently by mine workers. There was also attempt to drive with the bulldozer over them. Fortunately nothing happened to anybody, they are waiting for police now."
Greenpeace activists protest against coal in Poland
SCRIPT
22 Greenpeace activists from 10 countries today entered the vast open pit mine Jóźwin IIB, part of the Lignite Mine Konin in Western Poland. As the activists prepared to paint a huge "Stop" sign next to a giant coal excavator they were assaulted by local miners and prevented from carrying out their peaceful protest.
Mine workers drove aggressively into a group of Greenpeace activists and a journalist accompanying the activists was beaten.
Greenpeace is in Poland to demand that the forthcoming Polish energy policy contain a concrete plan for quitting coal and implementing renewable energy and energy efficiency. More then 90% of energy in Poland is produced by burning coal which has made Poland one of the 20 biggest emitters of CO2 in the world. Greenpeace asks that in the process of switching the Polish economy from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the government will provide a plan that ensures a just transition for miners.
The EU is days away from sealing a deal on its own response to climate change, with a series of laws known as the 'climate package.' Europe's position will have a massive bearing on global talks to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol, culminating in Copenhagen at the end of next year.
The police arrived to the scene and the 22 activists were detained and taken away by people carrier vehicles.
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