Culture

Extinction Rebellion

National civil disobedience mobilisation by Rising Up! for life on Earth

The inaction of our government on and complicity in the imminent extinction of people and planet is criminal and we are rebelling. Join the Extinction Rebellion

By a member of the Extinction Rebellion The People’s March for Wildlife will be joined by myself and fellow campaigners from the Extinction Rebellion. We will be meeting in Hyde Park, London on Saturday the 22nd of September at 10 a.m. It would be great to have you there with us in the Extinction Rebellion Bloc. The Extinction Rebellion is a national mobilisation by the Rising Up! network that is expanding rapidly as affinity groups are spreading around the UK like wildfire.  Speaking of wildfires, the recent spate of these around the planet is undeniably a manifestation of the negative consequences of anthropogenic climate change or rather the collapse of a climate supportive of life as we know it. The science has been done (many times). The time for denial is over. It is now time for action.

The ongoing failure of UK governments to protect us from ‘pollution,… mass extinction of species… and prevent the possibility of human extinction in the near future’ was the reason given for the Extinction Rebellion by a fellow campaigner in a recent interview'. The current government's support for the expansion of Heathrow Airport and the fracking of the UK countryside are exemplars of their continued failure to act on climate change and fulfill their legal obligations. The time has come for a rebellion against this climate wrecking government. The initial goal of the rebellion will be to start a national conversation about the crisis before a mass mobilisation of the public in the decoupling of development from fossil fuels as the UK goes carbon zero by 2025. Yes, that is right. We are demanding that the UK reduces its carbon emissions to zero by 2025 because things have really gotten that bad.

You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right

Rosa Parks

Roger Hallam who is another campaigner from the Extinction Rebellion recently wrote an article where they explained that and why the rebellion is advocating civil disobedience and non-violent direction action (NVDA). Historically it has been the campaigns and movements for social and environmental justice and sustainability with this component that have had the most success.. Historically it has been the campaigns and movements for social and environmental justice and sustainability with a component of civil disobedience and NVDA that have seen the most success. The refusal of Rosa Parks to relinquish her seat on a bus in North America because of the colour of her skin and the contribution of this selfless action to the civil rights movement is an exemplar of the power of civil disobedience and NVDA. 'You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right' is perhaps the most well-known of Rosa Parks quotes. 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter' is one of the most well-known quotes of her friend and fellow civil rights movement campaigner Martin Luther King, Jr. These quotes both contain words of wisdom that we should all meditate on but not for too long because the Antarctic ice is melting fast as our climate is broken down by the criminal inaction of our governments around the planet.

The rebellion is going to start in November in London with the blocking of transport and government infrastructure. Some of the campaigners from the rebellion recently blocked a road in Trafalgar Square as a warm up exercise and to help raise awareness of the rebellion. 'A government walking its people... to death is... a tyranny, no matter what political persuasion your from you have a right & a duty to... rebel' was the reason given by one of our fellow campaigners for the rebellion after the road block. The Extinction Rebellion will be making The Declaration of Rebellion against the UK government on the eve of the rebellion. It would be great to see you there also. 'If you would like to participate in the Extinction Rebellion please send us a message to either our Facebook page or Twitter account.