Alternative Nobel prize for Greta: We continue to fight

In the absence of a climate activist, Greta Thunberg and a further prize winner were awarded in the capital of Sweden, the four winners of this year's Alternative Nobel prizes.

While Thunberg and the Chinese women's rights activist Guo Jianmei at the awards ceremony in the Stockholm event, the house Cirkus were absent, accepted the human rights campaigner Aminatu Haidar, from Western Sahara, and the Brazilian natives Davi Kopenawa their prices on Wednesday evening, personally. Haidar is the first winner from the Western Sahara at all.

Aminatu Haidar is fighting for the self-determination of the population in Western Sahara. (Keystone/Erik Simander/4. December 2019)

Guo Jianmei could not come from unspecified reasons, to Stockholm. Thunberg was after her return journey across the Atlantic ocean in Lisbon, which is why the two activists were inside of Fridays for the Future, Sweden the award for you. Thunberg himself buy soundcloud plays gave his thanks via video message, after you had to follow the Director of the Potsdam Institute for climate impact research (PIK), Johan Rockström, as a "Jeanne d'arc" of the climate announced.

The prize was a great honor, said Thunberg via Video from Lisbon. "That means a lot. And Yes, we will continue to fight. The fight goes on. We will never stop."

Practical Visionary

The Motive for the award, ranging from the fight for the climate and the diversity of species to use for justice and the rights of women. The Right Livelihood Foundation, described the four in September, announced award winners as "four practical Visionary whose use allows millions of people to defend their basic rights and for a future worth living for and fighting on this planet".

Haidar is fighting for decades for justice and self-determination of the population of the Western Sahara and independence of their homeland. This has earned her the nickname of "Gandhi of the Western Sahara".

"This is, in fact, a recognition for the battle of my people for freedom and independence, but also a tribute to the people and the principles and values of individuals and peoples," she said at the award ceremony, to the later of 2014, with the Award-winning US-Whistleblower Edward Snowden from Moscow was. He said, in politics it is increasingly a question of what is legal and not what is morally right.

a Critical distance from Nobel prizes

Kopenawa has received the Alternative Nobel prize, together with his co-founded Association Hutukara Yanomami, with the help of which he fights for the securing of land rights and native culture, but also on the protection of forests and biodiversity in the Amazon region. "I'm getting this price, because I am a defender of the forest," said Kopenawa in his speech of thanks. He denounced the fact that the Brazilian government is threatening the habitat of the Yanomami. "Gold diggers that come into our country and destroy it."

"gold mining in our country and destroy it": Hutukara Yanomami in Stockholm. (Keystone/Erik Simander/4. December 2019)

The usually as the Alternative Nobel prize called the Right Livelihood Award since 1980 and, therefore, this time to 40. Times awarded. The donations funded the price is in a critical distance to the traditional Nobel prizes. The prize money in the amount of one Million Swedish crowns (around 105'000 Swiss francs), is intended for the work of the Honoree. (fal/sda)

Created: 04.12.2019, 22:23 PM