Wednesday, December 9, 2009

to protest or not to protest...

So, this is going to be a little out of order as i have about 5 "draft" blogs waiting in the wings - and i promise to get to them - (it is my over-involvement and intetrest that has caused the delay - not a lack of motivation by any means). Anyway, in some ways I have been contemplating this entry since i arrived - or even before - but certain events yesterday have brought it even more into perspective.

those who know me well know that once upon a time i was a "radical" protestor or activist in the environmental movement. And though i have not engaged in any protests for a while, that part of me is not gone - it lays in wait - like a calm volcano ready to errupt. Or, you could also say that i am still just as active as ever - i have just changed my approach.

Either way, i wondered what it would be like and how i would feel to come to an event, not as an "activist" but as a "professional" in some sense. I hope this is making sense.

My decision to come to law school was a sea change - and my acknowledgment that although i appreciate the value of direct action in the environmental movement and i think it has a valuable place, i no longer belonged in that part of the movement (at least as a permanent career) - and wanted to focus on a different aspect - law and policy as the avenue for change.

So, here i am in heels and suits walking by people making signs, planning actions - and i can feel that energy that comes from organizing an action; mobilizing around an issue -and my heart begins to beat - i can feel the molten lava of my activist soul begin to rumble. Part of me wanted to shed the suit and join the struggle. I found myself asking if i was a sell-out? if i would be judged by my fellow "granola-crunching " "hippy" constituency? would they write me off, or would they see that i was an ally - an activist "wolf" dressed in suited sheeps clothing?

But then yesterday, i was in a plenary session meeting of the parties to Kyoto (blog on that forthcoming...). This meeting involved delegates from around the world discussing CDM (clean development mechanisms) and whether CCS (carbon capture & storage) should be incuded under the CDM. This is a very important debate and it was an interesting session.

But at the begining part of the session, there was a protest in the lobby to the plenary hall. People were yelling "survival" and Tuvalu. Tuvalu is a small island state that would be inundated by sea level rise and would most likely disappear underwater. This island is also aiming for carbon neutrality in the next decade or so. So, of course it is legitimate that they would be holding an visual awareness action - but it was entirely inappropriate to hold this action outside of the plenary.

In the Bella Center there is an entire area for NGOs as well as places around the conference to hold demonstrations and actions. And these areas are high traffic where delegates and leaders pass. Nevertheless, this organization decided to move their action outside of the plenary doors. And it was loud and disruptive to the session. As a result, secutiry was heightened and observers were denied access. I did not know what was going on outside the doors until i went outside of the room. I was looking for the bathroom and security told me if i left i would not be permitted back in. There was a line of people waiting at the doors, being kept out and the lobby outside the session was empty. Further, there is talk that the secretariat will ban observers from future plenary sessions - especially next week when leaders begin to arrive.

I am all for direct actions and awareness - but the choice of this organization to go against the rules and bring an action outside the designated areas has jeopardized the ability for the rest of us to participate in these sessions - and with that i cannot agree. There are few meeting that are open to observers - and the ability to be in these meetings are very important. They give valuable insight to the debate between countries and also allows for observers to support the positions of small island countries and LCD countries by clapping after they speak, etc. There are also opportunities for observer organizations to speak at the end of the sessions. Having observers keepsthe process open and accountable. Without allowing outsiders in, the meetings lose their transparency and take away the important aspect of open public participation in this process.

So, although i will always remain an activist at heart - i do not think i am any less legitimate by donning a suit and heels. Though i may look longingly at the signs, slogans and actions of my protesting friends, i will stand tall (in my 3" heels) and proud at my decision to take my skills, knowledge and passion down a different (but no less legitimate) road.

Although i respect the actions that were taken yesterday, i think that these actions should consider the broader implications before going forward. Though we may all be more aware of the plight of Tuvalu after the action (and it is an important issue!) - at what expense did we learn? It may have done more harm than good, if a few signs and shouts limit the participation of hundreds of others in this process.

I am writing this in a plenary session this morning (which means we are still allowed in for now) - but made a conscious effort to get here 1/2 hour early in hopes that not many observers would be in there yet and security would still be amiable. As i was finishing my coffee in the lobby (was not allowed to bring it in) - i saw the security locking doors to the plenary and only allowing one entrance in and out of the plenary with tight securtity around. This is very different than past days where the flow of people in and out was much more free.

I don't know what will happen in the days to come - but if we are kept out of plenary, i can imagine a shift that i don't think would be a positive one. Negotiations are beginning to get more intense as the week goes on - only to increase next week. You can feel it and see it - there are more people - and increasingly more important people arriving from countries (as in the Presidents and Prime Ministers are beginning to arrive). Being kept out of plenary would cause more observers to turn to direct actions to show their disapproval - which would cause security to be stepped up even greater and would probably push observers further into the conference perifery - causing more and more intense actions - an unhealthy and unproductive cycle.

My hope is that organizations understand the implications of yesterday's actions - and continue to be direct and active, but in the approriate way - to ensure that activists can continue to "infiltrate" all parts of the meetings - like me in a suit - sitting in the meetings - taking notes and reporting to the outside - while in other parts of the conference there are actions and protests.

this is hard for me to say - to disagree with the actions of yesterday because i so much understand that desire to speak up - to speak out - to yell at the top of your lungs for change - action - awareness - an end to the injustice! But, it's a matter of diversity - we need people involved in all parts of the process for real change to occur. For now we do - and i hope it is allowed to continue.

6 comments:

  1. This is a really interesting development and discussion. Always a tension between the most radical approach and receptivity of the delegates or those you want to influence. I agree it does become a problem when it shuts down another valid method to influence the proceedings and allows the developed countries to insulate themselves from open criticism from the world's public at the meetings.

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  2. Since I've only known you since you donned your heels and put your signs away. It's important to remember that although those people holding the signs and singing the chants stir the waters and help open up eyes to change, people like you will always be needed to do the "other" importnat work. Remember the old saying, "a drop of honey is better than a gallon of gall." I appears your learning that first hand from the reaction drawn by the loud protest outside the plenary doors. I hope it doesn't prevent an open forum. Take care over there!

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  3. This incident suggests that there may not be very good coordination between demonstrators and delegates. Melissa, what is your sense of this? Are people working together to maximize their leverage, or are the demonstrations self-contained and primarily about gaining media attention?

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  4. for the most part i would say that the demonstrations and actions have been very organized and coordinated. At the same time i think this Tuvalu action exemplifies what people will do in the face of desparation or when pushed to a limit. Because in that sense, breaking the rules or going outside the what is "allowed" in the only "control" that a group has and the only way to bring new attention to an issue. Even though there have been some very creative actions here that have gained media attention, the "surprise" or shock factor that usualy accompanies an action or demonstration has almost been stripped away since all actions and demonstrations are listed in the daily programme. Combine this with the lack of support or progress being shown to LDCs and small islands, such as Tuvalu, during the negotiations and i imagine that these people felt (validly so) the need to do more - the need to step it up and step outside of the boundaries of what is allowed, to bring more attention to the plight of small island states and least developed countries. Especially because this action took place outside of a plenary where leaders and delegates were sitting - and even if you could not see the demonstrators, you could hear their chants.

    Since that demonstration, i have not heard of any others outside of the "permitted actions" though organizations do work together for each of the actions that go on here and most of the feedback from NGOs has been positive toward the Tuvalu action where literature from the UN spokle in terms of "disruption" and the effect on continued participation by NGOs - so the rhetoric, of course, varies depending on what you are reading.

    Today there is a HUGE march from City Center to the Bella Center and there are sailboats in the harbor and probably close to 30,000 people marching - creating a sense of disarray in the entire city (it took me an extra hour to get to the Bella today because of it). I think these types of actions and possibly actions outside the rules will intensify next week - both as world leaders arrive and as the limitation of participants into the center in enforced.

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  5. I tell myself that change can come from within systems and by patiently working towards it you can accomplish more than you may have accomplished with a sign and a pair of jeans

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  6. that's my hope too jen - and why i decided to go to law school!

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