COP21 - Brandalism do a Paris ad takeover

Brandalism have taken over poster sites all over Paris this week, with cheeky sarcastic and surreal ads critiquing the corporate sponsors of the UN summit that takes place there this week. Much like when took over London with their anti-DSEI posters, which was timed to appear during the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition in London. Even Amnesty joined in on that one with this cheerful ad. With the heightened security around Paris now, one wonders how they managed to get so many posters up - do the police ignore people switching posters out at bus stops? Interesting. More than 600 posters have been placed around Paris.

Brandalism explains that this is meant to "highlight the links between advertising, consumerism, fossil fuel dependency and climate change". The corporate sponsors of the talks have been targeted by the posters, which say that they are "part of the problem". A good example is the Volkswagen one, since they were recently caught installing software in 11 million cars that cheated emissions tests, making the vehicles appear greener than they actually were.

World leaders are often depicted in the mock-ads as well, US President Barack Obama was shown in a poster criticising oil pollution, UK Chancellor George Osborne (top image) had smokes stacks coming out of his head. David Cameron is sporting Formula 1 gear in one poster.

Brandalism also targeted Air France, accusing them of bribing politicians to ensure its profits aren’t affected by any emission laws.

Meanwhile, surreal scenes like this are also playing out in Paris. Clown Army?

The Clown Army takes the street "defending the climate." Pepper spray concussion grenades in background. Paris. pic.twitter.com/9HBZLYnlLx

— Antonia Juhasz (@AntoniaJuhasz) November 29, 2015

Naomi Klein tweeted that there's a 'memorial for the lives lost from climate change' in Paris - where the memorial to people killed in the recent terror attacks are still growing.

In Paris at a memorial for the lives lost from climate change. Enlarging the circle of mourning #COP21 pic.twitter.com/iKYhOXCjaH

— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) November 28, 2015