The August riot blocked the flow of traffic near the Parliament at 5 pm on Thursday evening. Activists demand that the government take measures to stop the loss of nature. HS shows Ilta-Sanomi’s live broadcast.
Animal rebellion has closed traffic on Mannerheimintie in the center of Helsinki as part of the ten-day protest against the Nature Shelter. On Thursday, around 6:30 a.m., traffic was blocked in both directions near the House of Parliament, and traffic is directed towards Töölö.
A representative of the movement said in advance that the protesters plan to be there on Thursday evening and assume that the police will at some point remove the activists from the place.
A reporter from HS is on site Rosa Welling, who estimates that there were at least 200 protesters at around 5:40 p.m. According to him, there are about 10 police cars at the scene, but the atmosphere is calm and there are no counter-protesters to be seen.
Demonstrators play drums and shout “more forest for protection”.
Elokapina demands that the government protect 30 percent of Finland’s surface area and all remaining natural forests. In addition, according to the movement, the government should enact a law limiting deforestation, which will increase carbon sinks and carbon stores.
The protest of the Elo Uprising on Mannerheimintie.
Helsinki the police said after five on the messaging service Twitter that they were negotiating with the protesters about relocating the demonstration.
The police announced in advance that Mannerheimintie is not a suitable place to organize a demonstration. According to the police, Thursday’s demonstration may cause significant and long-term traffic problems in the center of Helsinki.
However, the police are not going to estimate how long the traffic problem in the center will last, the chief inspector Jarmo Heinonen Helsinki police commented on Thursday.
“If you want an educated guess about the duration of the traffic inconvenience, you can look at recent years’ news about similar demonstrations. I would assume that the same formula will be used, but it is up to the organizers,” said Heinonen.
According to Heinonen, the police’s resources will also be tied up by HJK’s Europa League match in Taka-Töölö on Thursday.
In addition, the police have prepared for counter-demonstrations. According to Heinonen, no official announcements have been made about such things in advance, but the announcement made on the spot is also valid.
Police negotiators at the Elokapina demonstration on Wednesday.
“In most cases, individual people have expressed their opinion about the manner of the demonstration. In the evening we will see how much attention it attracts.”
Police has said that he is primarily trying to negotiate with the organizer to resolve the situation. The possible suspension and termination of the demonstration will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
In previous years, for example, the police have carried Elokapina demonstrators away from Mannerheimintie. According to Heinonen, a similar method is not excluded this time either.
“Myself, I can always childishly believe that everything will be fine. But if the protestors’ actions do not differ from before, why would the police change their way of doing things”, says Heinonen.
Also Helsinki Region Transport (HSL) has prepared for the evening’s demonstration. If necessary, buses and trolleys will be directed to go through Töölö, says the person on duty in communications Joona Packalén.
“There has been a fairly well-established procedure for such situations, although of course we cannot yet know the exact time or situation. Based on the situation and information from the authorities, it will then be applied,” he says.
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