Copenhagen harbor

SEATTLE -- A  journalist on assignment for InvestigateWest to cover protests outside the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen was arrested today as he photographed demonstrators trying to shut down Copenhagen’s harbor.

Christopher Crow of Bellingham was taken into custody by police, who also arrested about 275 demonstrators. He was taken away in a police van along with protesters. Copenhagen police are empowered under a new law to hold demonstrators for up to 12 hours without filing charges. Crow was released after 3 ½ hours without any charges being filed.

"This is an outrageous affront to the freedom of the press. Reporters are obligated to cover civil disturbances like the prostests in Copenhagen, and police who arrest journalists are violating their human rights," said Rita Hibbard, InvestigateWest editor and executive director. "Christopher and InvestigateWest are owed an apology by the Danish authorities and we will be filing a formal protest."

The officers took Crow away despite his colleagues’ protest that he was only carrying out his duty as a journalist to document the unrest in the streets. Demonstrators are angry about an emerging United Nations treaty that would allow some companies to profit from fighting climate change.

InvestigateWest correspondent Alexander Kelly covered the arrest for the Seattle-based news organization’s website at http://bit.ly/8FK2qd.

Kelly, InvestigateWest photographer Mark Malijan and InvestigateWest videographer Blair Kelly also were covering the protest, but were able to get away before police moved in wielding batons and police dogs to make arrests.

Crow, Kelly and other members of the InvestigateWest team in Copenhagen available for interviews via Skype.  Chief environmental correspondent Robert McClure, who is editing the Copenhagen coverage, is available for phone or in-person interviews.

InvestigateWest is a non-profit investigative journalism  organization based in Seattle.

[caption id="attachment_7203" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Christopher Crow"][/caption]

InvestigateWest correspondent Alexander Kelly reports the InvestigateWest photographer Christopher Crow has been released by Copenhagen police. In an earlier dispatch by Kelly we covered details of Crow's arrest, which occurred while he was photographing demonstrators outside the United Nations climate treaty talks in Copenhagen. The demonstrators were intent on shutting down the harbor of the Danish capital .

-- Robert McClure

By Alexander Kelly

COPENHAGEN -- InvestigateWest photographer Christopher Crow was arrested today by police wielding batons and accompanied by police dogs. Crow had been photographing demonstrators trying to shut down Copenhagen's harbor outside the United Nations negotiations on climate change.

[caption id="attachment_7185" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Christopher Crow in custody at the scene of his arrest. InvestigateWest photo by Mark Malijan. "][/caption]

 Crow was taken into custody along with about 275 others. Some 400 to 500 demonstrators had been involved in the protest.

Demonstrators marched roughly six blocks before riot police trapped the group against a metal railing about 2 1/2 miles from the harbor.

InvestigateWest’s second photographer, Mark Malijan, and videographer Blair Kelly and I made our way across the police line shortly before officers closed in with rubber batons and police dogs.

[caption id="attachment_7193" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Crow is escorted to a waiting police van. InvestigateWest photo by Mark Malijan."][/caption]

Riot cops violently tore protesters from a cargo truck that carried the march’s leaders.

Earlier today I posted a photo by InvestigateWest photographer Mark Malijan of an ice sculpture of Copenhagen's most famous landmark, the Little Mermaid statue in the harbor.  It's melting. In December. In Copenhagen. Outside the global negotiations on what to do about global warming, Antje Von Broock of Friends of the Earth Germany talks with InvestigateWest videographer Blair Kelly and correspondent Alex Kelly about the significance of the ice sculpture:

-- Robert McClure