Climate Activists Block Shipping in Basel – Four Arrests
Published: Friday, Aug 11th 2023, 18:00
Updated At: Friday, Oct 13th 2023, 14:12
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The eight-hour protest action at the Basel Dreirosenbrücke ended on Friday afternoon. Four people were arrested and the police gave the climate activists an ultimatum until 2pm. However, they appeared half an hour earlier and conducted personal checks. Three people voluntarily abseiled from the bridge, while two others were involved in a dangerous situation with the police boat. The police arrested four people on suspicion of coercion, including three adults aged up to 26 and one 17-year-old juvenile. The river was closed for around a dozen ships for safety reasons. The activists hung two banners, one saying "Freedom of Movement for People Instead of Oil Tankers" and a stop sign saying "Colonial". The action was part of the "No Borders Climate Camp" and aimed to draw attention to the connection between climate crisis and migration. They wanted to prevent the loading and unloading of transport ships in the Rhine ports, through which about a third of the oil imported into Switzerland is handled. The activists also called for an end to the criminalisation of migration and the creation of safe escape routes, as they criticised that fossil fuels can cross borders without any problems, while refugees cannot.nnnnnnnn
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