"There are some things that happen that make us good to be alive, even in these times of fear and greed. The Social and Climate Justice Caravan is one of those moments. People have come from around the world from the worst of environmental and social situations to demand and claim a better world save our planet from those that wish to profit out of the death of the biosphere. We have learned about and shared important struggles that shine a light on our collective dignity. We make tell each other about not only of our resistance but of our hopes and movements and dreams of a better place. This is more than a friendship but borne of political solidarity, labour and land ownership, climate justice, the exploitation of the south by the north, even knowing that you can find pockets of the south in the north and the north in the south. It is a world out of balance where absurdity passes for logic and the cry of humanity and mother earth is ignored at best, and people are shot and disappear at worst. We have invitations and choices to fight for our humanity and planet in these times. There is no middle ground. We will defy them. We will build our links and resistance and polish them with deep respect and commitment to our diversity and our common bonds."


This diary is written by different participants of the caravan. Further reports can be found at the caravan blog http://climatecaravan.wordpress.com/.

Geneva

Geneva, Saturday, 28th November 2009 The sun was shining when, on Saturday 28th Nov, the demonstration against the World Trade Organization (WTO) started on Place Neuve in Geneva. Some of the caravan participants were carrying the front banner, followed by several tractors from La Via Campesina, a world-wide farmers network. A group of saxophonists provided music and good atmosphere. More...

Geneva, Sunday, 29th November 2009 On the following day, several workshops were held in the Pitoeff Theatre, many of them organized by persons and organizations participating in the caravan. The workshops dealt with a variety of topics, such as the consequences of the WTO agreements in different countries, the environmental crisis and the effects of climate change, the causes and consequences of the economic crisis or the official WTO negotiations. More...

Geneva, Monday, 30th November 2009 On Monday, the first day of the WTO Ministerial Conference and exactly 10 years after the successful blockade of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle, commonly regarded as “coming-out” event of the globalization movement – the caravan participants gathered in heavy rain in a tent in front of the UN buildings. More...

The Western Route

Gland/Switzerland and Dijon/France, Thursday 3th December 2009 After another feeding from the generous and gifted food preparation group in Geneva we left for the World Wildlife Fund office. Hearing small farmers and fishers speak from many regions of the world it we learned that the WWF is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. More...

Paris, Friday 4th December 2009 Our entry to Paris was accompanied by a veteran of the Paris Spring of 1968 who, like a kind of revolutionary tour guide, pointed out some of the more significant landmarks of that time. More...

DAY THREE – Western Caravan – Dec 5, 2009 The Western Caravan folks attended a climate change demo sponsored by a number of French organizations in central Paris where some of our delegation spoke. All spoke passionately about the impacts of climate change on their communities and were received very positively by the 800 or so attending. More...

Paris, Saturday, 5th December 2009 At a rally in central paris, organised by the Collectif Urgence Climatique, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Véloruption, members of the caravan took to the stage to speak of their struggles. We heard testimonies from the Phillippines, Colombia and India amongst others. More...

From Paris to Lille - Dec 6, 2009 We left Paris for the northern French city of Lille. Lille is working class industrial town in decline. More...

Lille, Sunday 6th December 2009 We left Paris for Lille on Sunday morning, having been hosted by the Confederation Paysanne overnight. No sooner had we set off on the bus than Olivier, who has been one of the main organisers of the caravan, announced that we had an emergency on our hands... More...

Brussels, Tuesday, 8th December 2009 We set off early from Lille, where we had been hosted by members of the Confederation Paysanne. We have had an incredibly warm welcome in all the places we’ve stayed, and Lille was no exception. More...