| Extinction Rebellion (rebellion.earth) |
1st April
We know you’re all sick and tired of hearing about Brexit and it’s monotonous carrying on with the same old indecisive nonsense week in, week out. Well, we hope this didn’t make you miss the debates on Monday evening where Extinction Rebellion stirred things up and switched the subject from Brexit to climate emergency!
11 rebels stripped off during debates and glued their hands to the glass in the public gallery. During the peaceful protest, rebels stood with their arses pointed at MPs and spoke frankly with onlookers about climate breakdown, before singing and dancing along to the nursery rhyme ‘Nelly the Elephant’ in reference to climate change being ‘the elephant in the room.’
Rebels had painted ‘SOS’ and ‘For Life’ on their chests, managing to hold their ground for 20 minutes before being removed. 12 people involved were willingly arrested.
While all eyes are on the UK due to the Brexit mess, this was a unique opportunity to shake things up and get the global media talking about the climate crisis. The support within the gallery was positive with MPs laughing and many people within the gallery cheering the rebels on, no doubt relieved to have a breather from Brexit, even if just for 20 minutes.
Collaboration in Ghana
27 FEB + 6 MAR
Extinction Rebellion Ghana has joined up with multiple grassroots organisations and informal groups in West Africa under an umbrella group working against humanitarian, social and environmental injustice. They held a meeting in Accra to give a statement to local chiefs and international media calling for a pan-African climate emergency. They want an end to ‘Maangamizi’: the genocide and ecocide inflicted on their continent. Instead they aim for the rise of ‘Ubuntunkonso’: a term used to describe international, progressive movement towards a just and equitable world where humanity and nature are protected.
XR Ghana already has an ongoing, inventive ‘whistling exercise’ to draw attention to the climate emergency. It began in schools as part of the international student strikes, and has proved to be an ear-catching way to make their point. On 6 March, Ghana’s Independence Day, they continued this theme with a ‘whistle blowing for climate emergency’ action at a main square in Accra.
Earth Funeral in South Africa
23 MAR
Four generations of South African rebels, including community and spiritual leaders, held a funeral for the earth in Cape Town. The somber procession, complete with coffin, moved through the community gardens and was followed by speeches, music . . . and bellydancing!
Dutch rebels disrupt financial district
27 MAR
Rebels staged a die-in in the financial district of Amsterdam during evening rush hour. They sought to call attention to the role these companies play in causing climate breakdown by supporting the fossil fuel industry.
Photo credit: Egbert Born
Rise For Climate Belgium
28 + 31 MAR
Continuing last week’s action in Brussels, rebels held a protest titled “Make Noise for an Ethical Choice” outside the parliament building. And make noise they did! They were pressuring politicians to pass a constitutional amendment improving climate legislation. Disappointingly, parliament did not pass the amendment.
A few days later a group of international rebels joined the Rise For Climate Belgium march, putting pressure on Belgian and European politicians to make the necessary changes to reverse climate breakdown. On their way to join the main march rebels were escorted by police, for their own safety as there had just been a violent incident (unrelated to XR). This live-stream video shows the police collaboration, some footage of the march, and interviews with rebels from several countries. This one shows rebels taking the stage and speaking after the march.
Letters from Catalonia
21 MAR
Last Thursday afternoon (21st of March 2019), XR Barcelona handed in an open letter in person to the director of Catalunya Ràdio (Catalan public radio channel), Mr. Saul Gordillo. This letter was addressed to the CCMA (Corporació Catalana de Mitjans Audiovisuals/ Audiovisual Media Catalan Corporation), and is intended for the attention of the rest of the media. It requires the media to assume its responsibility in the face of the climate emergency, and demands a coverage in accordance with the scale of the emergency situation.
The letter has been signed individually by relevant people from science, culture, Catalan unions, politics and social movements. People who are part of the main scientific and university institutions of Catalonia and many other sectors of civil society. We have gathered 230 signatures in total, but more and more people continue messaging us asking to join the petition.
You can find a copy of the letter here, and media coverage here.
The letter has also been sent to the deputies of the Catalan Parliament, and will be discussed at the next control session in April, and two deputies have confirmed to XR Barcelona that it will be discussed in an upcoming session.
