Global celebrities and climate survivors join mass rally in Copenhagen

Published: 12th December 2009
  • Tens of thousands march in Copenhagen

  • Press Conference with Helena Christensen, Danish model

Oxfam campaigners - Danish model and photographer Helena Christensen; West African singer, Angelique Kidjou; Bollywood actor Rahul Bose; former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson and Danish actor Thure Lindhardt- will be joining tens of thousands of demonstrators at a mass rally and candlelight vigil in Copenhagen today in support of a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal. The rally and vigil will be followed by a press conference with Helena Christensen.
The peaceful demonstration is part of a global day of action that brings together millions of people in over 130 countries. This includes over 2,600 candlelight vigils in places as diverse as Kabul in Afghanistan, a beach in Madagascar, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and the Hudson River in the US.

Events in Copenhagen

09:30 – 10:30: Man braves hail, wind and rain to walk to Copenhagen climate summit – Oxfam Campaigner, Pushpanath Krishnamurthy arrives at the Bella Center following his 400 km journey on foot from the UK. Push is available for interview on his motives for walking to the summit and the ground swell of support he has received along the way.
13:00 – 14:00: Tens of thousands of people gather for climate rally in Christiansborg Slotsplads at the Danish Parliament. Helena Christensen; Angelique Kidjou, Rahul Bose, Thure Lindhardt  and Constance Okellet, a climate witness from Uganda, will be among those addressing the crowd.
14:00 – 16:30: Demonstrators march to the Bella Center with 18 giant sails emblazoned with messages for world leaders. Over 250 Oxfam supporters will be carrying a sail and giant life rings with the message: Climate Change Kills - Act Now, Save Lives.
16.30 – 18:30: Candlelight vigils inside and outside the Bella Center led by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. The sails will be handed over to Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, inside Bella Center.
17:30 – 18.15: Press Conference with model and photographer  Helena Christensen - NIMB, Bernstorffsgade 5, 1577 Copenhagen V. Helena will be talking about her trip with Oxfam to Peru, her mother’s native country, where she visited communities impacted by climate change. Helena’s photographs from the trip are being exhibited in Copenhagen at Gammel Torv during the talks.

Spokespeople

The following Oxfam spokespeople are available for interview in a range of languages during day:

  • Angelique Kidjou, Grammy Award winning Beninese singer songwriter and UN Goodwill Ambassador (available throughout the day)
  • Helena Christensen, Danish model and photographer will be available for interview at and after the press conference
  • Rahul Bose, Indian actor, screenwriter, director and rugby union player (available throughout the day)
  • Mary Robinson, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (available for interview from 15:30 – 18:00 in the Bella Center).
  • Climate witnesses including Constance Okollet, a farmer from Uganda whose crops have been devastated by floods and drought and Shorbanu Khatun, a survivor of Cyclone Aliya who is living in an internally displaced persons camp in Bangladesh (available throughout the day)
  • Oxfam campaigners from around the globe including Pushpanath Krishnamurthy who walked to Copenhagen on foot from the UK.

 

Notes to editors

Information on the march – including good places to get pictures and video

Pictures and broadcast quality footage of the climate witnesses and pictures of Oxfam Ambassadors are available for download

For Helena’s photographs from Peru and pictures and broadcast quality video footage of Helena during her visit please contact Kezia Anim-Addo at kanim@oxfam.org.uk  or +447540704334

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