A group of young activists from the Climáximo movement today temporarily blocked traffic on the Segunda Circular, in Lisbon, near the Galp offices, in a protest against the use of fossil fuels.
According to the movement, at around 9am today, ten activists sat on the ground of the Segunda Circular, next to the Lisbon Towers, while two others hung themselves with ropes from the pedestrian bridge.
Videos and photos of the protest, which are circulating on social media, show protesters holding placards calling for an end to fossil fuels, with phrases such as “They are destroying everything you love” or “Governments and companies have declared war on society and the planet”.
During the protest, which lasted a few minutes, the demonstrators managed to cut off traffic in the Benfica-Airport direction.
“Several activists were taken away by the PSP, while the fire department was called to remove the hanging activists,” the Climáximo movement said in a statement sent to the press.
The spokesperson for the action, Noah Zino, recalled today that “the 2021 emissions have condemned nine million people to death” and that “every two days, Portugal’s emissions alone kill more people than the Pedrógão fires”.
“For decades, governments and companies have known about the doom and gloom of the climate crisis, and have chosen to continue burning fossil fuels, despite the fact that there are cheaper and safer alternatives available,” the spokesperson added.
Last week, climate activists took advantage of a conference attended by the Minister for the Environment, Duarte Cordeiro, and threw green paint at him. The following day, they threw red paint on the façade of the FIL building, where a conference on aviation was taking place.
