Extinction Rebellion and WeMove Europe put up hundreds of posters in the European quarter in Brussels to make ecocide a crime.
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On the night of May 3 and the morning of May 4, activists from WeMove Europe and Extinction Rebellion stuck 300 posters on various surfaces around the offices of the European Commission and Council of the European Union. The posters featuring bold graphics of our current ecological crisis all carried the slogan "Make Ecocide a Crime!", along with various other messages such as
- "Forests absorb 30% of all carbon emissions — the food industry sacrifices them for profit";
- "Pesticides kill bees — No bees, no food";
- "Big oil and agribusiness are driving climate change — Climate change is causing floods";
- "Oceans generate 50% of the oxygen we breathe — Their destruction must be punished".
During rush hour, activists hung giant "Make Ecocide A Crime" banners over the Belliard and Loi tunnels.
“Big Oil and agribusiness are destroying our planet for future generations. They’re getting away with killing bees with their pesticides, and bulldozing our ocean,” said Giulio Carini, communications manager at WeMove Europe. “Year after year, their greenhouse gas emissions cause more forest fires and floods in Europe. For this to stop, those who destroy our planet must go to jail.”
The message is clear: given the existential threat posed by the ecological crisis, companies and individuals guilty of destroying the environment must be punished heavily for their crimes.
The day of the action has not been chosen at random. Today, 4 May, the first trialogue negotiations are scheduled to take place between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union to establish a law to recognise ecocide as a crime, based on a proposal from the European Parliament. [1] Activists, along with 600,000 signatories of a petition from WeMove Europe and Avaaz, believe the Parliament's proposal is excellent, but fear it will be greatly weakened by the Commission and the Council, which represents the leaders of the Member States.
Pauline Carbonnelle, Extinction Rebellion activist: "In the past, French President Emmanuel Macron has claimed that "ecology is the fight of the century" [1], European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans has predicted that due to the ecological crisis "our children will be waging wars over water and food" [2], and German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz has promised to "to give future generations a good life in a world worth living in." [3]. The European Parliament's proposed law against ecocide is a historic opportunity for the Commission and the Member States to walk the talk."
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Press contacts:
WeMove Europe:
- Giulio Carini (english, italian), +39 348 533 3846
- Laura Sullivan (french, dutch, english), +32 470 72 32 92
Extinction Rebellion:
- Pauline Carbonnelle (french, dutch, english) : +32 479 71 23 84
- Dominik Kulczynski (english, french, polish) : +32 491 20 59 70
Some resources on the issue of ecocide:
- What is Ecocide? https://www.stopecocide.earth/
what-is-ecocide - An FAQ on Ecocide law: https://www.stopecocide.earth/
faqs-ecocide-the-law - Position paper from Stop Ecocide coalition : https://www.stopecocide.earth/
eu-crime-directive-position- paper - Press release from March 2023 on Parliament’s position in favor making ecocide a crime: https://www.stopecocide.earth/
breaking-news-2023/european- parliament-proposes-including- ecocide-in-eu-law; https://www.europarl.europa. eu/news/en/press-room/ 20230320IPR77894/meps-support- stricter-sanctions-for- environmental-crimes - Petition signed by over 600,000 people: wemove.eu/ecocide
- Examples of Ecocide throughout history: https://www.endecocide.org/en/
examples-of-ecocide/
References:
[2] https://www.elysee.fr/
