Being (dis)obedient: An analysis of the climate justice movement's use of civil disobedience at COP21 in the light of the French state of emergency

Abstract: Within the climate justice movement there is a clear tendency in the last years towards actions of civil disobedience. The Red Lines protest in Paris during COP21 was meant to be one of the main events of the movement in 2015. However, the Paris attacks on November 13 and the subsequent state of emergency drastically changed the conditions for political protests. This thesis provides an analysis of the power struggle between protesters and the police in the preparation and implementation phase of the Red Lines protest. By interviewing several organisers of and participants in the protest, I trace this power struggle with insights from different perspectives, providing a comprehensive image of the event. It becomes clear that the implications of the state of emergency and the climate justice movement's response initiated a process with several shifts of power, revolving around the question of being (dis)obedient. Thereby, this thesis sheds a light on the current climate justice movement, its use of civil disobedience and its powers in the interaction with the police. These insights might be useful for the movement in further actions of civil disobedience in the coming years.