Several square metres of wood chips were tipped in front of the entrance to Namur town hall by activists from the local branch of Extinction Rebellion on Tuesday.
They wanted to "denounce the commune's lack of political action in climate matters," the group said in a statement.
"The City of Namur says it is aware of the issues affecting the climate and biodiversity but nevertheless lacks vision," they stated in a press release. "It is proving this notably by cutting down old trees at various sites, including Parc Léopold, falsely claiming it can replace them."
Cette action vise à dénoncer l'abattage prévu dans le centre-ville d'arbres adultes en bonne santé (ceux du parc Léopold) alors qu'il est démontré qu'ils sont les plus aptes à accueillir la biodiversité et à nous prémunir des ilots de chaleur en période caniculaire. https://t.co/9ziELSdS5G
— Extinction Rebellion Namur (@XRNamur) October 15, 2019
"In these days when all minds are on the drama of mass forest devastation in the four corners of the world, we, Extinction Rebellion Namur, remind the town's inhabitants of their commune's sorry betrayal," they added. "This heap of chips sourced from reclaimed organic material illustrates our commune's error on this, the day of the monthly communal council meeting."
Apart from the chips, several signs displayed messages like: "For our fellow citizens the trees", "Amazonia is burning and you are cutting down our trees" or "A tree cut down provides no nesting habitat."
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Extinction Rebellion was created in London. It defines itself as a non-violent ecological collective and is calling for civil disobedience to goad governments into action against climate change and its consequences.
The Brussels Times
