This morning, Climáximo supporters painted Lisbon’s São Jorge castle red to call on people to “stop normalizing the violence of the climate crisis”. They are calling for a “mass climate resistance” action on November 23.
This morning, Climáximo supporters entered São Jorge Castle, painting the façade of the historic building. At the same time, they launched a banner reading “23 Nov, Stop While We Can”, calling for mass action on that date. The collective claims that the climate crisis is a deliberate act of war by governments and companies against people and the planet, and that society must stop normalizing these attacks on life and resist those responsible.
Sara Gaspar, Climáximo supporter and spokesperson for the action, says that “the summer of 2024 was the hottest on record and last week this was dramatically demonstrated with the fires that ravaged the north of the country, killing 9 people and destroying dozens of homes. This tragedy, as well as the periods of extreme drought, storms and heat waves that will cause more and more deaths and forced migrations, has culprits: the arsonist governments and corporations that have known for decades that they are leading us to collapse, but have chosen to maintain their profits by burning fossil fuels, condemning people here and everywhere to death and misery. None of this is normal, just as none of this is inevitable. We have to stop them.”
Despite the fact that this has been a year in which the impacts of the climate crisis have been felt extremely strongly, governments around the world continue to allow the expansion of oil, gas and coal burning and investments in new fossil infrastructures.
Sara, a 31-year-old biologist, says: “Castles are something that everyone wants to preserve. But what good are historical monuments if we allow humanity to pass into history? Tomorrow the castle of São Jorge will be restored, but the dead people and destroyed houses will not return. Until we stop consenting and start mobilizing to challenge the murderous plans of governments and companies, they will continue to kill and cause devastation everywhere. There is no culture in a dead society and planet, and we refuse to accept that path. Every day you have to choose: will you consent to the destruction of life, or will you join the resistance to stop this war before it’s too late?”
The collective is calling on everyone – “workers, students, mothers, fathers, children, the precarious, the unemployed, grandparents, grandchildren” – to take part in the mass civil resistance action “Stop While We Can” on November 23, when discussions on the United Nations Climate Conference (COP29) and the State Budget (SB) in Portugal will be closed. In the call, the collective states that “November 23rd cannot be a normal Saturday when we act as if everything is fine, when we are at risk of losing everything. While they plan to condemn the people around us to death, we can’t let them carry on with their day as normal.” They indicate that the action will be “accessible to everyone”, with the aim of “approaching people in the streets and cafés, as well as breaking normality by blocking one of the city’s most central squares”. The first preparatory assembly will take place on October 5 at 3pm in Lisbon’s Praça José Fontana and is open to everyone.