LONG LIVE THE REBELLION!
Welcome to the 9th Extinction Rebellion newsletter!
So far, over 150 brave rebels have been arrested for taking non violent direct action. The rebellion is continuing to take root and self-organise all over the world. Find your local XR group on the map, here.
Check out what’s on near you with our full list of upcoming events available to view on our website, rebellion.earth/events (or on facebook here). If you’re new or haven’t already, remember to check out our Campaign Overview Document.
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Contents
- Recent Activity
- Upcoming Activity
- Latest News and Data
- Extreme Weather
- Recommended Reading and Viewing
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For two weeks, thousands of rebels have joined actions which shut down London and cities around the UK with acts of non-violent civil disobedience. This massive display of people power has only been possible because of rebels like you, taking action together to do what must be done to avert the worst of the unfolding catastrophe. It has been heartwarming to see so many people rising up peacefully together, thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
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On Saturday 17th November, 6,000 rebels occupied London’s five most central bridges to draw immediate attention to the dire climate crisis. Rebellion Day was the culmination of a week in which Extinction Rebels blocked the entrances to BEIS, unveiled a climate change banner over Westminster Bridge and redecorated Downing Street and DEFRA.
Rebellion Day received international media coverage. There were 85 arrests, the majority on Southwark and Lambeth bridges. Despite what was at times an assertive police presence, the people were not deterred. Thanks to the rebellion’s courage all five bridges were taken and held as planned, remaining in place for over five hours.
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| Rebels on Westminster Bridge |
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On Blackfriars Bridge, there was an array of speakers and performances from Pete the Temp to George Monbiot, as well as global witnesses coming from as far as Papua New Guinea, Ghana and Mongolia to testify to the impacts of environmental collapse on their nations. On Westminster bridge, demonstrators listened to Rupert Read, Jenny Jones, and the representative for Island States in the UN, Farhana Yamin, among many others.
As the day progressed, the bridges joined together to slow march along the river to Westminster; banners flying, chanting and singing, incorporating pedestrian passersby on the way. The day culminated with one of the central organisers, Dr. Gail Bradbrook speaking about the movement’s future plans, before a final multi-faith ceremony at Parliament Square and the planting of trees on the green.
It was an empowering moment for the rebellion, which had been gathering pace for weeks by this point. Here at last it was manifest and could not be ignored. 85 people had been willingly arrested in one day; as the sun set, a call went out across Parliament Square for volunteers to offer arrestee support. A small but improbably energetic crowd set off with a sound system to wait and dance inside and outside Charing Cross police station, greeting those eventually released with joy and solidarity. (XR filled 11 police stations across London that night) More volunteers helped clean up the equipment in Parliament Square, leaving nothing behind except three new trees and an international-scale frenzy of online attention.
XR IS HERE TO STAY!
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From Wednesday 21st to Thursday 23rd November, for three continuous days leading up to Rebellion Day 2, teams of rebels swarmed all over London. Converging on five locations at 6:30am to move onto roads by 7:00, the tactic was to block roads for seven minutes at a time, allow the first few ranks of traffic to move past, and then spread the banners anew. This alternation - combined with successful negotiation and de-escalation with police and drivers - allowed our swarmers to sustain their presence for hours on end, leading to maps like this, a lot of press coverage, and a warning from the Met to motorists "not to travel by car or motorbike”.
On the Thursday, one of the swarms relocated to the London Assembly to join a public meeting on disaster preparation; most were denied entry, but we got in anyway to offer some constructive criticism.
And for the finale on Black Friday (AKA Buy Nothing Day), rebel swarms came together for a big finish to shut down Oxford Circus. Press release + maps here. Video report here. Live streams here.
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| Saturday 24th November - Following a frantic fortnight, Rebellion Day 2 began as a much more sombre affair: grieving for the life we are losing and for that which is already lost. All four corners of Parliament Square were shut down by teams of rebels to allow the funeral for our future to take place in peace, without the noise of traffic intruding on proceedings. Despite the mourning, there was much singing, joy and merriment as rebel tricksters worked their magic, attempting to dig not one but two graves in the earth. In response to this, the police turned earth protectors, kettling both graves! |
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| A 9-piece New Orleans style funeral band then led a funeral march to Downing street, where the procession stopped for a sit-in and some further civil disobedience. More rebels were arrested as the march continued on to Buckingham Palace, where a letter from the rebellion was read out to the Queen. Amidst the singing, chanting and dancing, one rebel super-glued herself to the palace gates. |
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| Speeches were given outside Buckingham Palace |
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As the sun set, the rebellion marched back to Parliament Square for a final open mic session. 15 people had been arrested, along with another 8 at a simultaneous event in Manchester. You can watch live streams of all the action from Rebellion Day 2 in London, here, here and in Manchester, here.
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COP 24
Saturday December 1st - As the UN prepared for their COP24 climate talks in Katowice, Poland, an XR Bloc joined the “Together For Climate Justice” march in London to show solidarity with environmental activists mobilising around the world. Speeches were given at the Polish Embassy, including some Polish chants.The march then proceeded to Downing Street, where more speeches were given and the Frack Free United Declaration against fracking was delivered. 65, 000 people joined the “Claim the Climate” march in Brussels the next day, Sunday.
Sir David Attenborough represented the ‘People’s Seat’ at the COP24 climate summit. His full address can be found here (30 mins in). He spoke about extinction and the collapse of our civilization with a true sense of urgency. “Time is running out”, he said, and implored the decision-makers and leaders of the world to “please lead”.
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XR International Actions
- Extinction Rebellion US organised a march and people's congress in Washington DC
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As rebels began swarming in London on Wednesday, geography teacher, Greg climbed a tripod to stop trains to @AdaniAustralia's Abbot Point coal port in Australia
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Extinction Rebellion launched in Seattle
- First public gathering of Extinction Rebels in the Netherlands
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Latest News and Data
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Statement from Extinction Rebellion on the latest UK climate projections (UKCPC18)
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Greta Thunberg has delivered a stern rebuke and warning to the COP24
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SOLIDARITY WITH TINKER LANE fracking site in Nottinghamshire blockaded for 80 hours, with 2 arrests
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Extinction Rebels reinforced a 4 person lock-on at Colne Valley HS2 site on Thursday. Live streams here and here.
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SOLIDARITY WITH THE STANSTEAD 15 who are facing life imprisonment for grounding a deportation flight last year. The verdict is expected imminently.
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Ireland's Fossil Fuel Divestment Bill passed the Seanad on Thursday
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41 tons of methane a day are being released from Iceland’s Sólheimajökull Glacier
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Protest Banned at COP24 in Katowice (again)
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2018 Was the Hottest Year on Record (again)
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Trafford council have voted to declare a climate emergency and to ban fracking. source.)
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SOLIDARITY WITH THE No to Tommy Robinson, No to Fortress Britain demo, Saturday 9th Dec, London
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Over 65,000 protesters in Brussels came out to demand climate action ahead of the COP24 climate summit.
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ENvironnement JEUnesse are bringing a class action against the Canadian government before the Superior Court of Québec. The organization of under 5-year-olds allege that the Canadian government is infringing on a generation’s fundamental rights because its greenhouse gas reduction target is not ambitious enough to avoid dangerous climate change and it does not even have a plan that would allow it to reach this already inadequate target.
- Simultaneously, the School Strike for Climate has continued to spread around the world. Thousands of students in Australia defied their PM, Scott Morrison who said that “We don’t support the idea of kids not going to school, to participate in things that can be dealt with outside of school”.
Yellow Vest movement:
People around the world are rising up: from the courageous school strikers to the ‘yellow vest’ protesters in France, where their police force, the gendarmerie are reportedly now standing down in the face of a surge of protests against rising taxes, poverty and low incomes. There comes a time when people say “ENOUGH!” This was one of the things that finally ended WW1, when those in authority began to suffer and disobeyed orders, broke ranks and took matters into their own hands.
“The “yellow vest” movement shows the strange fractures that can open up under the contradictions of modern centrism: above all, the false dichotomy between addressing global warming and addressing the ravages of capitalism. This dichotomy is especially dangerous in that it gives nationalists a narrative with which to capitalize on economic crisis while discrediting environmentalism by associating it with state oppression.”
CrimethInc
The fuel tax rise was the straw which broke the camel’s back, not the underlying cause of the demonstrations which have tragically seen at least one protester killed and hundreds injured.
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Extreme Weather
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Storm Diana left at least 40 000 UK homes without power, amid 80mph winds. Roads flooded and trees were uprooted in Bristol, Wigan and right across England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Train, plane and road travel has been disrupted across the country for days. The M6 was closed by flooding on Monday.
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Flash Flooding has killed at least three people in Sydney, Australia, while thousands have been evacuated from the north-east of the country, which has been hit by 200 wild bushfires
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A 4.5 Magnitude Quake which struck British Columbia on Thursday was “Most likely caused by fracking”
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A 7.0 magnitude quake has struck Alaska, wrecking roads and leaving thousands without power
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196 people are still missing 3 weeks after the worst wildfire in a century which killed at least 88 people in California. The state has now been struck by flash flooding and mudslides
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A storm has uprooted trees and cut power in Paphos, Cyprus one week after flash flooding there
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Flash flooding has struck Bodrum, Turkey for the second time this fortnight
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Hamilton, New Zealand has been evacuated after flash flooding
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Floodwater has inundated Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta
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Lake Chilwa, the second largest lake in Malawi has dried up.
- Nineveh Province, Iraq has declared a state of emergency after more flash flooding. Last month, floods killed dozens and displaced tens of thousands there.
Our thoughts are with those grieving loved ones and those displaced by these disasters. It is time to take responsibility for what life there is left. To grieve and to understand that all these climate catastrophes erupting, flooding and burning their way across our fragile planet are happening because of our disconnection with nature. We will continue to raise our hearts and minds to a global scale, for only by doing so can we confront the reality of human extinction.
WE ARE FOR LIFE!
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Recommended:
Reading, Viewing and Listening
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Thanks for reading this 9th newsletter and for supporting the rebellion. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up! There isn’t room here to document everything that’s been happening but we’ve done our best. If you’d like to get involved in helping put together future editions with useful information, ideas, articles - join the newsletter hivemind by emailing douglas...@gmail.com with ‘newsletter’ in the header.
This newsletter was written collaboratively by a rebel hivemind of 5.
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"The biggest challenge we face is changing human consciousness, not saving the planet. The planet doesn’t need saving.
We do."
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez |
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