EU council brands Greenpeace protest 'unacceptable'

A demonstration by Greenpeace activists outside a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels on Tuesday has been branded "unacceptable".

An estimated 70 protesters blocked the three entrances to the council building on Rue de la Loi for over an hour in a protest about EU climate change policy.

Some chained themselves to the entrance doors while others staged a 'sit down' outside before eventually being moved by police.

A council spokesman told this website that the demo caused major disruption with police closing nearby roads and staff and visitors being prevented from entering the building.

"This was unacceptable behaviour," he said. "Not only that but it was quite pointless as there was nothing on the Ecofin agenda which had anything to do with climate change issues.

"There was another demonstration outside over Tibet but we knew about that and that protest caused no problems."

The Greenpeace action, which called on finance ministers to "put money on the table" to tackle climate change, was defended by Polish EPP-ED deputy Jerzy Buzek, who was attending a meeting in Brussels on carbon storage technologies.

Buzek, tipped to be parliament's next president, said, "We live in a democracy and these people have a right to demonstrate. You have to defend that."

Thomas Henningsen, Greenpeace international climate campaigner, claimed the protesters had "sealed" the Justus Lipsius building.

He said, "Finance ministers are giving billions of taxpayers' money to failed banks but we're here to make sure they also put money on the table to tackle climate change."

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