A representative of the Greve Climatica Estudantil collective told Lusa that 17 activists were arrested for blocking access to the Council of Ministers in Alges, municipality of Oeiras, until 10 am this Thursday.
“We know that 17 (activists) were arrested and taken to police stations in Oeiras,” spokeswoman Beatrice Xavier said, adding that security forces “refused” to tell the collective the whereabouts of the people who blocked various entrances to the complex. .from the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).
Climate activists today blocked the entrances to the IPMA complex next to the Tagus River in Algès, delaying the entry of workers and the start of a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
The meeting of ministers took place at the same location after the intervention of a special unit of the PSP, which removed activists who used chains and glue to prevent the opening of various doors in a place located between Avenida Dr. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho and Passeio. Maritimo from Alges.
“Once again we see that institutions would rather arrest activists than take action on climate change. Once again, our governments are more concerned with our repression than anything else. We will accompany our detained colleagues. We will not leave anyone alone,” Beatrice Xavier lamented at the end of the protest.
A representative of the collective also said that the action was intended to “destroy reality,” despite the fact that in the context of the climate crisis, a change in government is not expected “day by day.”
Beatrice Xavier recalled that the student collective had already organized demonstrations and seizures of schools and universities, but despite this, the activists “were silent and ignored.”
“From now on, as the climate crisis intensifies, our protests will also have to increase in scale, because our governments do not listen to us and continue with their lives and their ministerial councils,” he concluded.