New
Zealand Greenpeace protesters scale parliament roof
Four
environmental activists on roof of the parliament building in
Wellington hold Reddit AMA calling for government action on climate
change
25
June, 2015, 12.56 pm NZT
Four
environmental protesters have breached security at New Zealand’s
parliament by scaling the roof and perching themselves on a ledge
above the main entrance.
The Greenpeace protesters
on Thursday hauled up eight solar panels and unfurled a banner to
protest what they say is the government’s lack of action in
promoting renewal energy and dealing with climate change.
The
protest began at dawn and continued throughout the morning. Police
issued the four with trespass notices, but authorities say they plan
to allow the protesters to come down on their own.
The
breach will come as an embarrassment to the parliament’s security
services.
David
Stevenson, the general manager of Parliamentary Service, said in a
statement he had ordered a full review of security procedures as a
result of the breach.
“Trespassing
in or on the buildings is totally inappropriate, regardless of the
motivations of those involved,” he said. “We are therefore taking
this incident very seriously and will be looking for any lessons we
can draw from it.”
New Zealand Labour
The view outside our window this morning.
The
forecourt in front of the main entrance is frequently used for
sanctioned protests.
Speaking
from a cellphone, protester Johno Smith told the Associated Press
that the four were experienced climbers and that they planned to come
down on Thursday afternoon “before it gets too cold.”
He
said he hoped the protest would inspire people to act. “We need to
take clean-energy action,” he said. “Our society is based around
fossil fuels.”
About
77% of New Zealand’s electricity generation comes from renewable
sources, including hydroelectric, geothermal and wind. The country’s
vehicle fleet, on the other hand, primarily uses gasoline and diesel.
Bunny
McDiarmid, Greenpeace New Zealand’s executive director, tweeted:
“Security breach at parliament security breach of the planet? You
choose.”
The
climbers continued to publicise their protest from the roof, tweeting
pictures of themselves and engaging in an “ask me anything”
question-and-answer webchat on
Reddit.
One
of the protesters, named only as Jeff, told Reddit users that police
officers on the ground were a “friendly bunch”, adding: “No
signs of them comin [sic] up which is good, much safer for us. Best
if we come down ourselves.”
— Greenpeace NZ (@GreenpeaceNZ)June 24, 2015
"I just hope that other people are inspired to stand up for what they believe in" - shot Johno... #realclimateaction pic.twitter.com/Brtti5jece
LIVE UPDATES: Climate protest at Parliament buildings
Four
climate change protesters have scaled the roof of Parliament
buildings in Wellington. Follow LIVE coverage here.
The situation so far:
- Greenpeace protesters have taken solar panels and banners on to the roof of the Parliament buildings
- The organisation tweeted that it was a reaction to Prime Minister John Key's inaction on climate change
- Police say it is more risky to arrest the protesters than to leave them up there
- Follow our news story with comprehensive coverage of the protest here
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