President and climate movement ally Mohamed Nasheed has been ousted in a military coup. 350.org has set up a petition to put pressure on key international politicians to act. Their press release follows.

Dear friends,

Our fight is a global fight, and early this morning one of our greatest allies, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, was ousted in a military coup. He’s under house arrest at the moment and could be in serious danger. We’re collecting signatures on a petition that we will deliver to key secretaries of state and foreign ministers to make sure there’s pressure on the coup leaders to keep President Nasheed safe.

On our action page, you’ll see a video of President Nasheed at the Copenhagen climate talks – it was one of the great moments of the 350 movement. We also pasted an account of the coup from inside the government. Click /Get More Info/ on the page for both. The Maldives was on course to become the world’s first carbon-neutral nation, a beacon for the rest of the planet; but for the moment, all that matters is the safety of our dear friend and his colleagues.

Days like today remind us how hard this fight will be, and how many setbacks we’ll see on the way. They also remind us that we need solidarity above all else. If you’re a praying person, include President Nasheed and his family in your prayers. We know that all of you are action people, so here’s that sign-on link again .

With respect,

Bill McKibben and the 350.org team.