This is how the activists are silenced at the climate summit in Dubai

DUBAI. The organizers claim that COP28 is the most open and inclusive climate summit ever.

But the activists who are on the ground in the country where the emirs have all the power testify to a completely different reality.

– We know we are being monitored, but we don’t know when, says Danish Selma de Montgomery, 18.

Just as the sun began to set, something happened that almost never happens in the United Arab Emirates. Hundreds of protesters marched along one of the main streets of the giant Expo City exhibition area in Dubai. They danced, shouted slogans and beat drums. At the front were police and security personnel who did not try to stop the train. Instead, they paved the way for it through the crowd at the summit.

That this is allowed to happen is of course solely due to the fact that the eyes of the world are directed towards the very wealthy country on the shores of the Persian Gulf during these days. In general, there is no freedom of speech here, and criticism of the ruling emirs can lead to long prison sentences.

Must have permit

The official position is that “peaceful protests in specially selected places” are allowed during COP28. But several protesters describe how the organizers are still doing their best to silence uncomfortable voices.

– We are not allowed to mention specific countries or companies. Everything we want to say has to be approved in advance, says Selma de Montgomery, an 18-year-old Danish activist from the organization Grønne ungdomsbevägelse.

She and some other young people took part in a small protest a few hours before the big march along the main street. According to the activists, it has become increasingly difficult to get permission to carry out demonstrations the longer the meeting has been going on. Many applications remain unanswered.

– They really do everything they can to silence us. I have many friends who didn’t even get a visa to come here. This applies especially to people from developing countries, says one of the demonstrators.

“The monitoring is sophisticated”

The regime in the United Arab Emirates has access to advanced technology that enables covert surveillance.

– I was at the last summit in Sharm el-Sheikh. There it was obvious when someone was keeping an eye on us. A man could enter a room and everyone could see that he was trying to spy, says Selma de Montgomery.

– Here it is much more sophisticated.

All this takes place at the same time as the decisive negotiation meetings are held behind closed doors.

– We do not find out what is happening. If something leaks, we don’t have the opportunity to react to it by organizing spontaneous protests. It is very frustrating.