ABSTRACT
A group of around 1,500 Danish climate activists attempted to close down the Danish coal power plant, Amager Power Station, in a direct action called ‘Shut It Down’ on 26 September 2009. The activists were trying to address what they considered an urgent need, which was to end the use of coal in Denmark immediately, thus reducing the nation’s contribution to global warming. 1 The activists characterised this form of direct action as confrontational, non-violent civil disobedience. However, a strong police presence prevented the activists from shutting down the plant, which is owned by the state-owned Swedish power company, Vattenfall. The confrontation between the police and the activists, where activists tried to force their way past the police line, resulted in the police using their batons to prevent them from entering the grounds of the power station. The confrontation and the activists’ protest march to the power station were followed closely, first hand, by a large group of journalists and press photographers. The direct action came to an end when the police arrested a large number of activists and the other activists were forced to abandon the area around the power plant. 2
