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Vice Blog

COP15 –ACTIVIST GRANDMA IS HERE TO TEACH THE KIDS HOW TO PROTEST

This morning we popped by the activist compound in Østerbro's industrial quarter for a situation report after that police raid we

told you about yesterday

. Sort of by chance we bumped into

Lisa Fithian

, famous for being pretty much the embodiment of social activism, and when she says, "after Seattle" she's not talking about the demise of grunge. She's here in Copenhagen during COP15 to shout, "no more" at the UN and teach the flocking activists a thing or two about strategic protesting as she's been doing so for 35 years.

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Vice: What are your thoughts on the Danish police? Lisa Fithian: You mean after last night, when 300 cops in full riot gear raided our compound? I mean, that's a provocative action and you really have to question who's actually escalating the situation here. They took our information sheets and banner-paint. Stuff like that. It just pissed everybody off. From what I hear, teargas is their weapon of choice and your government just passed a law enabling them to throw you in jail for 40 days just for being present at a protest. That seems pretty fascist. Even though protesting might end in a 40-day jail sentence, you're still urging people onto the streets? You have to understand that the power of the people lies in numbers and anyone in any country that has ever challenged their government has often faced oppression. I'm here to be part of a social global movement and pass on my experience. It's important that people show up and say 'no more' to the direction the UN. Major climate polluters are heading, which will essentially mean more profit for the rich and a continuing genocide of the poor. We're here to expose that. How exactly will you be protesting? I'm an advocate of strategic, non-violent actions and my focus is on the

'reclaim power' day

, which is a big march with the intention of forcing our way into the parking lot at the Bella Center. You do acknowledge the illegality of that, right? Absolutely, but it also depends on the goal and aims of your action. They have their assembly and we want to have a people's assembly, because we don't feel they're accountable for the will of the people.

How do you train people in non-violent protesting? In the past ten years, since the World Trade Organization shut down in Seattle, we've seen a rise in 'non-lethal' weapons used by the police. You know teargas, pepper spray, rubber bullets and tazers. It's an aggression and what we do in training, is try to mimic those situations so you have an idea of how you react physically and mentally. It's important to know so you can make clear choices and understand the consequences. But you must know, that there will also be protestors of violent persuasion joining your march? [long pause] The question of violence is complicated. My preference is not fighting the police, but I understand the people who make these choices. They're serious, committed and willing to risk and sacrifice a lot. I do think it's a vulnerable strategy, but I won't condemn them and truth is they've had a lot of impact. They have forced governments and media to respond in ways that other strategies have not. What's the worst thing you've ever been part of? Genoa was pretty bad. It was just an offensive fascist police force beating the shit out of people. Hundreds were injured and Carlos [Giuliani] was killed. People were shot during

the Gothenburg Riots

as well. It's never pleasant. Personally, as a public figure, I've had my government threaten me, tamper with my car and all sorts of stuff, but let's not get into that. What do you expect to achieve here? I know we won't reach any meaningful solutions here in Copenhagen and that I'll never be done. HENRIK SALTZSTEIN