Protestors raise concerns in Copenhagen and pursue parallel conference

Yesterday, we reported on some of the conflicts that have broken out inside the Copenhagen climate talks over a secret proposal that poor nations say could permanently marginalize them from the process. As delegates from the global south press their concerns inside the formal talks tens of thousands of protesters are descending on the city to raise similar concerns from the outside. Brian Edwards-Tiekert has this report on what's shaping up in the streets of Copenhagen.

All the official protest actions in Copenhagen are planned to be nonviolent, though such protests in Europe often draw small groups that split off and destroy property.  Denmark's conservative government isn't taking any chances: the parliament has given police the power to detain people for 12 hours without cause, it’s created a 40-day sentence for interference with police, and it passed a law making it illegal to cover your face anywhere near a demonstration. Local authorities have also converted a former beer warehouse into a giant detention center, and started to conduct late-night raids on the halls where out-of-town activists are camped out. No arrests have been reported yet, but police have seized possessions from activists.