Samedan/Davos, Switzerland – This morning, 27 activists from across Europe supporting Greenpeace International symbolically 'confiscated' private planes at the Engadin Airport in Samedan, Switzerland, which is used by participants of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The activists, acting as 'tax collectors', attached inflatable ball-and-chains, each two metres in diameter, to three private jets parked next to the airport runway. They also attached stickers to the planes with the message "CONFISCATED: Time to Tax the Super-Rich". The activists are demanding tangible solutions to the climate and environmental crises, and taking a stand against the empty rhetoric of the powerful elite convening in Davos, many of whom arrived via highly polluting private jets.
Clara Thompson, Greenpeace spokesperson in Davos said: "Today we are kick-starting change so that governments implement a tax on the super-rich and their polluting assets. The world's super-rich are disproportionately responsible for climate-damaging emissions, not only through their excessive lifestyles, which includes private jets, mega-yachts, and sprawling estates, but even more through their massively polluting investments. If we don't act now to tax the world's richest, the unchecked accumulation of wealth will put us further down the path of irreversible damage. Fair taxation of the world's super-rich is inevitable to protect people and the planet."
Today also marks the launch of a new civil society alliance called #TaxTheSuperRich for people and planet. In a joint statement, Greenpeace International, together with Oxfam, the International Trade Union Confederation and 22 other social and environmental organisations, call for a tax on the wealthiest individuals and corporations to curb extreme wealth, and strengthen global cooperation for fair taxation. This includes collective action at G20 and in the UN Tax Convention process that will pave the way for redistribution of power and wealth to unlock resources needed for social, environmental, and climate action.
This is the third in a series of protests by Greenpeace International in connection to the World Economic Forum, calling on governments to tax the super-rich. On Monday activists blocked the heliport in Davos and on Tuesday they peacefully staged a protest in the high-security main congress hall of the WEF.[1]
