Swiss police said they've detained around two dozen climate protesters on Monday who were blocking access to the Credit Suisse headquarters in Zurich.

Around 70 people took part in the sit-in, barring the several of the bank's entrances with bikes and large potted plants. Protesters also carried a banner reading: "Climate Emergency Sponsored by Credit Suisse."

Some of the activists had chained themselves to nearby objects and had to be cut away, police said. Authorities also carried away protesters who refused to leave.

Some protesters were carried away by police after refusing to leave the sit-in

Protest organizers the Collective Climate Justice Group said on Twitter that the police action "actively protects the environmentally destructive interests of (Credit Suisse) and opposes a fossil-free, climate-friendly future."

A similar climate protest also took place outside the headquarters of Switzerland's largest bank, UBS, in the city of Basel.

Fridays for Future protest kicks off in Cologne

Elsewhere in Europe, student protesters with the "Fridays for Future" youth climate movement began a week-long protest in the western German city of Cologne on Monday.

Over 70 participants joined the demonstration when it began at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) outside Cologne's main train station. Starting on Tuesday, the protest will run round-the-clock, with students taking shifts overnight.

Students in Cologne plan to protest round-the-clock this week to urge for action on climate change

The protest is due to end on Friday, when schools in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia go on summer vacation.

The Fridays for Future movement, which was inspired by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg, involves students leaving school on Fridays to urge for more government action to combat climate change.

The movement has seen a wave of support around the world, but also pushback from local governments who urge students to attend class, as school attendance is compulsory in Germany.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action Striking for the future "Why study, if our future is being destroyed?" This sign features a sentiment shared by increasing numbers of German students, who have joined young people worldwide in using Friday school strikes to call for action on climate change. The movement was inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began her protests alone in front of the Swedish parliament in August 2018.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action No time to wait With the 2015 Paris climate accord, nearly all of the world's countries committed to limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius, preferably 1.5 degrees (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), by 2100. The hope is that this target will prevent the worst effects of climate disasters. Concerned by the dire predictions from climate scientists, more and more people have called for immediate action.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action Youth pressure Despite urgent warnings, politicians have dragged their heels on important climate decisions. It's become clear that Germany will miss its targets for 2020. Climate protection was an important factor in the European elections in late May, with the Greens winning more than 20% of the vote in Germany alone, more than double previous results. Among 18-24-year-olds, 34% backed the party.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action Coal struggle in Hambach Germany's climate movement is fighting on many fronts. In recent years, activists have fought to preserve Hambach Forest in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, building treehouses to prevent the old-growth forest from being felled to make way for the mining of lignite, or brown coal. Energy giant RWE has launched legal action, and police have cleared the camp several times.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action Victory, for now In September 2018, a few days after the camp was removed again, a court ruling suspended the clearing of the forest until late 2020, after a lawsuit by environmental group BUND. RWE has argued that the forest has to be cut in order to ensure the coal necessary for Germany's electricity supply. Around 50,000 activists celebrated the victory.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action Making headlines Protests organized by groups such as Ende Gelände have increasingly been making headlines. Thousands of young activists have come out to staged events, blocking railway tracks used to deliver coal to power plants near Cologne and occupying huge coal excavators, as seen here in the open-pit mine in the east German town of Welzow in 2016.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action 20 more years? In January 2019, after seven months of negotiations, a coal commission set up by the federal government to work out Germany's plans to phase out coal power released its findings. It recommended that Germany should continue coal mining until 2038, at the latest —far too late for the country to meet the targets of the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Germany's growing climate movement demanding action No confidence in politics An increasing number of young people in Germany are demanding that the government find a way to meet the 1.5-degree target. The emerging Fridays for Future movement has been getting support from longtime environmentalists, teachers, academics and parents. They have called for all German coal-fired power plants to be shut down by 2030, and for renewable energy initiatives to be vastly expanded. Author: Gero Rueter



rs/rc (AP, dpa)

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