The last battle of NGO

The 16^th. It was supposed to be the last day NGOs can get into Bella Center. Under what appeared to be the dead calm, a new round of demonstration and battle cry was undergoing.

I was able to get into Bella Center rather smoothly in the morning. It was much more organized and cleaned up. I was waiting for the broadcasting of the negotiation meeting in front of the monitor, but the “meeting is about to begin” sign had not been updated in an hour. I then decided to get out to record the final campaign of the China Youth Delegation.

I walked out of Bella Center, following a group of young people shouting “Reclaim the Power” and surrounded by cameras and journalists. Our campaign team was already broken up in the crowd and could not proceed.

We were supposed to have our “wish tree” campaign, inviting people to write up their climate wishes and put it up on the tree. Obviously, people can no longer be satisfied with this type of mild and even poetic way of expressing. The angry crowd converged in turbulent floods, their voices louder than the overhead helicopter: “reclaim the power”, “climate justice.” The three Deaths in blue, red and yellow were waving in freezing wind, coupled with the ever-heavier snow.

The crowd was marching toward the police; the anger seemed to be out of control. I found myself jammed in the middle while filming my surroundings. The crowd had come face to face with the police.

The police was pushing us backward, and yet I found no way to retreat. Someone shout “Don’t push anymore. We are going back!” Yet more people became even angrier, crying “You don’t have the right to do so!”, “This is the same for democracy.” I panicked, as 3 or 4 meters right behind me there was a pond. If the police was to push further, I was going to fall. Although I got used to the face-to-face jostle in the subway in Beijing during peak hours, I was rather fearful, not knowing if the out-of-control crowd would seduce any further moves from the police.

As I was afraid, the police started to spread paper. Some people fell. First aid folks appeared out of nowhere with water and cleaning spread. The white foam was running down from their eyes.

I was finally freed up. I retreated with people surrounding me along the bank of the pond. Most of the people were young and there were quite a few middle- and old-aged folks. Some started drumming and dancing. Some even put down a draft boat on the pond outside Bella Center, attempting to take over the center. Yet they were already in a dead lock by the police.

Smoke was coming out of two stacks in the far away place. The helicopter was hovering overhead. The police had started arresting people. Any spark could lead to the fire.

RECLAIM POWER.

If equipped with their own army, the crowd might have taken over Bella Center and stood in front of the defeated negotiators and heads of the states.

Wind storm had frozen me up. Bella Center no longer let in NGOs. I left the guard zone under the police’s instruction. I bought a hot chocolate, and walked to one more stop away from Bella Center. Police cars kept on driving toward there. One COP 15 bus drove by; it said on the bus:

RAISE YOUR VOICE.