Camp For Climate Action - Camp in The City 2009

Camp in The City 2009

The Camp in the City (51°30′55″N 0°04′57″W / 51.5152°N 0.0825°W / 51.5152; -0.0825) took place on 1 April 2009 was one of a number of protests associated with the G20 London Summit. The aim was to draw attention to carbon trading, claiming that far from being a way of reducing release of climate change gasses in the atmosphere it is used as an excuse to continue doing just that. The camp took place outside the European Climate Exchange in Bishopsgate and was distinct from the G-20 Meltdown protest that took place outside the Bank of England.

Prior to the actual camp a group of participants had played a game called 'capture the flag' in the area on 27 March which was used by the protesters to familiarise themselves with the locale.

Camp for Climate Action organisers agreed to meet with police and exchange contact details shortly before the protest. The meeting was arranged by Liberal Democrat MP David Howarth, who was to mediate at the meeting which was to take place at the House of Commons. Scotland Yard confirmed that a meeting was to take place with Bob Broadhurst (police commander) and Ian Thomas (chief superintendent).

The camp, which was intended to last for 24 hours, started at 12:30pm when a camp was established in a section of Bishopsgate between Threadneedle Street and London Wall with tents set up and bunting across the road reading 'Nature doesn't do bailouts'. There were solar-powered sound systems, musicians and a food stall and some 1,000-plus relaxed people.

The atmosphere was still relaxed at about 5pm when police with helmets, shields and batons began to surround areas of the camp using section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986.

At about 7pm the police stopped allowing people to enter or leave the protest. The police advanced on protesters who put their hands in the air and passively resisted while chanting "This is not a riot" which is a tactic that emerged over the course of a number of Camp for Climate Action gatherings. There were scuffles with the police in which several protesters were hit and kicked by the police and one policewoman needed medical attention. Within the cordon people carried on playing music and preparing food and until the police began letting people leave at about 11:30pm and cleared the area of the last protesters at about 2am.

Jean Lambert MEP of the London Green Party wrote an open letter to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner after the event asking for an explanation of the police tactics.