| Dozens of Activists Arrested in a 'Global Climate Rebellion' |
| Written by <a href="index.php?option=com_comprofiler&task=userProfile&user=51790"><span class="small">Justine Calma, The Verge</span></a> |
| Monday, 07 October 2019 13:05 |
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Calma writes: "Arrests are underway as environmental protesters kicked off what they dubbed a 'global rebellion' for the climate today. Protests organized by the group Extinction Rebellion are planned throughout 60 cities over the week."
Dozens of Activists Arrested in a 'Global Climate Rebellion'07 October 19
There have been more than 135 arrests so far in London, although Extinction Rebellion said as many as 1,000 people have volunteered for arrest. In Sydney, 30 people have been arrested, including four protesters under the age of 16, The Guardian reports. Hundreds more were removed from a sit-in blocking a main road, according to the BBC. The actions are expected to continue across the US.
The actions were organized by Extinction Rebellion, a movement founded in the UK last year. The group rose to international prominence after nearly shutting down London with its demonstrations in April. The group says its strategy is to use nonviolent civil disobedience “in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse” due to climate change. That strategy included drenching the Treasury in Westminster with fake blood on October 3rd. On October 7th, protesters chained themselves to two cars blocking Westminster’s Victoria Embankment. Video shows police cutting protesters free from the cars.
Organizers expect today’s London protests to draw five times as many people as the ones in April. Demonstrators occupying the Lambeth Bridge practiced yoga. While others were cuffed and taken away, onlookers documented on social media. Extinction Rebellion planned to protest in 12 sites around Westminster, each one representing a different cause like “Global Food Justice” and “Peace.” Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid, and New York City were also major targets.
“It’s the Western countries, the European countries, North America that have got us into this mess. And so, personally speaking, I think we have a big responsibility to try and get us out of that,” Jonathan Mintram, regional liaison coordinator with Extinction Rebellion in the UK, told The Verge. Cumulatively, since the Industrial Revolution, the United States has contributed the most planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and remains the second biggest polluter after China. |
rrests are underway as environmental protesters kicked off what they dubbed a “global rebellion” for the climate today. Protests organized by the group Extinction Rebellion are planned throughout 60 cities over the week.