On Tuesday morning, a few hundred activists and supporters of the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion continued to occupy the Place du Châtelet and the Pont au Change, which leads to the Île de la Cité in the centre of Paris, to demand more action against global warming.

This is part of a week-long international mobilisation happening all week in 60 major cities around the world including London, Berlin and Dublin.

It kicked off in Paris at the weekend and other events planned in the French capital include a mass bike blockade on Friday, to encourage people away from their cars, and, on Saturday, they will build their own archipelago in the city. 

These Parisian activists have been occupying this central position, a few hundred metres from the Paris police prefecture, where a ceremony was organized on Tuesday in honour of the victims of last week's massacre, in the presence of Emmanuel Macron. 

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In a friendly atmosphere, in the rain, they held a citizen's assembly in the middle of Tuesday morning to discuss the day's activities and the logistical organization of the camp. On the agenda: a workshop on non-violent communication, a concert in the afternoon or a “collective meditation before bedtime” in the evening.

No police intervention

Under the supervision of a light police system, militants spent their first night in the rain in tents or improvised bivouacs under tarpaulins. Dry toilets have been installed.

Some activists, organized around six blocking points, expressed their relief that the police had not intervened, such as Errico, 20 years old, a student used to university blockades but not a member of Extinction Rebellion, who came “curiously to see how popular this movement is”.

In June, during an action to block another bridge in Paris, Extinction Rebellion members were moved on by the police using tear gas at close range. An investigation had been opened.