Starting tomorrow, December 7, the United Nations will be holding a climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark. But one of the most liberal cities in the world seemingly won’t be playing nice with protesters. The NY Times reports that the Danes are ready for anything. Among other things, they’ve:
…rushed through Parliament allowing stiffer fines and extended detentions for those deemed unruly, to public displays of newly acquired anti-riot and emergency equipment, leaders here say they are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best. Meanwhile, a variety of protest and advocacy groups — some with obscure political lineage — have signaled in online postings and other public statements that they will not be cooperating.
Mr. Larsen said that about $122 million was being spent to secure the city and to fortify the Bella Center, a sprawling site southeast of central Copenhagen where more than 15,000 negotiators and onlookers will gather to forge the framework for an agreement to address climate change.
High steel fences atop concrete barricades surround the Bella Center, and vehicles can enter only through a couple of well-armed police checkpoints. The southern reaches of the Inderhavnen, or inner harbor, canal, which runs just west of the Bella Center, are embroidered with concertina wire to prevent access by water.
Could this end up looking like the 1997 WTO protests in Seattle (a city that, at least by American standards, is quite liberal)? I guess we’ll find out this week.
