In Copenhagen, Sydney-based climate justice advocate Natasha Verco, as well as US activist Noah Weiss, faces charges under Denmark's "terrorism" laws. Verco faces up to 12-and-a-half year jail for her role in organising protests against the United Nations Copemnhagen climate summit in December.
The two activists appeared in court on March 18.
Verco was arrested while riding her bike on December the 13 ahead of a national day of action she was helping organise the following day.
She said: "A plainclothed police women jumped out at me and ... took me to an unmarked police van.
"I asked them, 'Are you randomly picking me up?' and they said 'No, we hunted you'."
Verco was then held in in isolation — in an underground carpark — for about 16 hours before being taken to Copenhagen's Vester prison where she was held for a further 23 days.
Verco said she was charged the day after being taken to prison, but bail was refused.
"I wonder what the hell they're going to argue because I can't see what evidence they've got for these charges", Verco said.
"Under the new anti-terror laws they can do this, but it seems to me that applying terror laws to activists is steadily eroding the base of our democracy."
During the December 7-18 UN summit, "dozens of protests from the small to mass rallies of 40,000 people, took place; the Danish police arrested nearly 2,000 people", a March 18 Mobilization for Climate Justice statement said. "The police are now processing nearly 200 legal complaints about the treatment of the arrestees."
[Action is needed in support of Verco and Weiss. To send a message to the Danish justice and foreign ministries to support the two, please click here.]