Greenpeace activists slip through Davos security to stage climate protest

By Max Schwarz and Yves Herman

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Greenpeace activists evaded the World Economic Forum's tight security checks on Tuesday, staging a brief climate change protest outside the main hall of the annual meeting in Davos.

Dressed up in dark suits and white shirts, three protesters made it into the Congress Centre and scaled a balcony. Two then unfurled a large banner saying: "Tax the super-rich. Fund a just & green future".

Security staff intervened and escorted the protesters away, shortly before the official opening ceremony and a speech by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

"The three activists have been taken away from the scene," Greenpeace activist Clara Thompson later said by telephone. Asked how they had got inside the security cordon, Thompson said: "They had their ways and means, I can't say any more."

The message to business and political leaders attending the meeting in Switzerland echoed another protest by Greenpeace on Monday, during which activists blocked the Davos heliport.

Security is tight for the WEF meeting, where one of the main themes for discussion this week is "safeguarding the planet".

The WEF said on its 2025 programme that it is "crucial for businesses, governments, and civil society to work together to find common solutions and take decisive action".

Demonstrators protesting over fossil fuel subsidies had also on Monday splattered paint green on the shop front where Amazon AMZN.O has set up a temporary base on the main street.

(Reporting by Max Schwarz; Writing by Alexander Smith; Editing by Leela de Kretser)

((alex.smith@tr.com))