Climate campaigners to march through Edinburgh on Global Day of Action amid COP27

Climate crisis campaigners will march through the streets of Edinburgh on Saturday as part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.

The event runs as world leaders have gathered in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the COP27 climate change conference.

Protesters aim to draw attention to banks, governments and the main polluters who are accused of driving the breakdown of the climate.

The march aims to highlight the impact of the climate crisis on people and places who did not cause the crisis but suffer the greatest consequences.

Campaigners also aim to highlight the importance of upholding human rights while responding the crisis.

The march is organised by the Edinburgh Climate Coalition, Climate Justice Coalition, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Global Justice Now, Extinction Rebellion Scotland, Tipping Point, BankTrack, Jubilee Scotland, Scot.E3.

The event will be one of over 40 across the UK and Ireland on the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice.

It follows similar marches in Glasgow when COP26 was held in the city in 2021.

Starting at St Andrew’s Square at 12pm to the Scottish Parliament, the march will pass six points that highlights different demands for climate justice.

The first stop in St Andrew’s Square there will be a large installation of the ’scales of justice’, a performance by the Extinction Rebellion ‘red rebels’ as well as some stalls run by migrant/global justice groups.

The second stop at HSBC Bank on Hanover Street will include people on stilts dressed as bankers with a message from protesters calling for the cancellation on unjust debt.

Protesters then plan to continue down Hanover Street to Santander Bank where they will highlight the danger of financing climate damaging projects such as large scale cattle farming in the Amazon with people dressed as cows.

The march then plans to continue to East Market Street where posters and banners will be lined calling on the Egyptian government to free political prisoners including Alaa Abd El-Fattah.

Participants are specifically asking the UK and Scottish Government attending COP27 to not return without Alaa – a high profile British-Egyptian prisoner currently on hunger and water strike.

The march will then past the UK Government building on Sibbald Walk where the theme will be a call to stop new oil and gas, specifically the Rosebank oil field with roses decorating the square in front of the building.

Finally, the march will come to the Scottish Parliament building for around 2.30pm where the theme of protest will be the cost of living crisis and energy prices.

Attendees will be given placards and encouraged to form a ring around Parliament. There is also a choir planned.