CBS reports that, “United Nations security personnel clashed with protesters and journalists at the climate talks venue in Cancun (last Friday). They then evicted the protesters and detained a photographer, confiscating his camera.”
“The scuffles broke out when U.N. police arrived to break up a protest by a group of activists calling themselves ‘Youth Movement Against Climate Change’ who were holding a demonstration outside a summit venue. Police forced the activists onto a bus and pushed photographers back, trying to stop some from taking pictures. Television footage showed U.N. security personnel pushing the camera of a Reuters photographer into his face and then detaining him. The security officers then forced him onto the bus with the protesters and confiscated his camera. He was later freed.”
Democracy Now! reports that, “Guards seized Jorge Silva’s press credentials and then beat him while he was detained on a bus. The incident sparked a protest by other Mexican photographers.” That video is at http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2010/12/11/video_un_guards_beat_reuters_photographer_at_cancn_climate_talks.
Council of Canadians climate campaigner Andrea Harden and I had just stepped outside the Azteca Building at the Moon Palace and saw this all happen. My blog on this is at http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=5741.
