Welcome to the 19th Extinction Rebellion Newsletter!

It’s finally here: the International Rebellion is now just days away. For the details of what’s coming in London, we’ve released a comprehensive guide packed with useful information including a map, a timeline, and a legal overview. We’ll also be giving live briefings, including trainings in NVDA and regen, and a legal observer training over the weekend.

The buildup is already well underway: following an amazing action from XR Youth (see below), Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action will be shutting radically repurposing Oxford Circus this Friday. The following day, the Earth March will be arriving on the outskirts of London; Sunday will be the final stretch of their awe-inspiring journey – if you’re in London on the weekend, please join them to show your support!

Eagle-eyed rebels will have noticed that some of the above links lead to our wonderful new website, which went live earlier this week. As the pace of news accelerates next week, you’ll be able to find daily updates on the website, courtesy of the newsletter team.

And for those pondering the many exciting and nerve-wracking possibilities which next week may hold in store, now might be a good time to read an article written by one of our members, about about the first major action in November. We don’t know what exactly will happen on Monday – but we know it’ll be exhilarating, sincere, and rooted in a profound love for each other and the planet.

You can check out local upcoming events on our website at rebellion.earth/events. If you can’t spare time, but can donate money instead, please see our fundraiser page

Contents

• Recent Activity
• Upcoming Activity
• Act now
• International Highlights
• Announcements
• News & Recommended Content

Recent Activity

Culture Declares Emergency

3 APR

Last Wednesday the group ‘Culture Declares Emergency’ held a symbolic, horse-lead procession through the streets of London to visit some of the 190+ cultural institutions and individuals who have joined them in declaring a climate and ecological emergency. The group blocked roads after setting off from Somerset House across Waterloo Bridge and along the Southbank, stopping to make announcements and hold short performances at the venues such as the Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe.

Walking with the procession were ‘Heralds’ wearing living grass coats grown by visual artists Ackroyd & Harvey and carrying banners with names of the declarers listed. A newly composed soundscape by Mira Calix featured in the ceremony of declarations of Planetary Emergency, as well as readings from selected ‘Letters To The Earth’, writings submitted by the general public for a nationwide cultural action – the first project of Culture Declares which will take place on Friday 12 April. To find out more about this event please visit their website.

XR Youth block London Fracking Conference

4 APR

Our young rebels threw themselves into the mix last Thursday when 6 members of XR Youth ‘locked on’ outside the entrance to the London Fracking Conference at Westminster Energy, Environment and Transport Forum. They planned to disrupt a seminar titled ‘Unconventional oil and gas market in the UK – planning changes, environmental regulation and tackling the scale-up challenges’.

The young rebels used bike locks to chain themselves together blocking entrances to the building and forcing attendees to step over them to the enter, while wearing t-shirts saying “Don’t step on our future”. The event promised to “assess the next steps for overcoming barriers to the commercialisation of domestic shale into the UK energy mix” and look at “questions around the economic viability of the sector and the implications for further investment and exploration for additional wells, taking into account oil price trends.”

No arrest were made. For some of the rebels it was their first action and we couldn’t be more chuffed and proud of them for their courage!

Earth March Update: More Groups Join Road to Rebellion

ONGOING

As more and more Earth Marchers join the long road to Rebellion Week, it was brilliant to see 5 more groups set off to join us here in London before activities kick off on the 15th.

Stroud Earth March gathered for a send-off supported by the Stroud Red Band, Stroud MP David Drew and Mayor Kevin Cranston. He said: “The most serious problem this country, and all nations on earth, face is Climate Change. We have only a very short time to turn things around, it is simply not good enough for governments to say it is a very important and then carry on as usual.”

Oxford march left on Tuesday 9^th April, heading for Wallingford, with further planned stays in Henley, Slough and finally reaching Richmond by 13^th April.  The Oxford marchers are currently numbering around 50, with numbers reportedly increasing all the time!

Also setting off this week were Earth March Colchester and Ashdown Forest Earth March. One of the marchers, Ness writes:

‘And we’re off… All packed. Annual leave booked. Today I set off with a new friend, Theresa; to walk to London. We have stocked up on good food, warm gear and may even treat ourselves to a few evenings in the local pubs. Some of the route takes us through miles of farmland; something I’m really looking forward to.’

Finally, a group of about 50 people from Brighton group left the city’s Palace Pier at 2pm on Sunday for the 8-day trek, with the hope of reaching Peacehaven after day one. Before leaving, the group were read a letter of support from Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas. She said: “Your action could not be more urgent. We have all the tools we need to shift to a zero carbon economy – what we lack is the political will. Make your voices heard. Change the debate. This is an emergency. Let’s treat it like one.”

Earth Marchers will be arriving in London on the 14th, the day before Rebellion Week kicks off, for a welcoming ceremony in Hyde Park. And we can’t wait to join them!

For photos, videos, accounts of the marches, and details of the remaining legs of the Earth marches, please see the Earth March Facebook page and individual march pages.  

Local contributions

Decentralisation is a key element of XR’s ethos. So while high-profile actions will often take place in the big cities, we’re eager to celebrate all the amazing actions across the country and the world every week. If you’re involved in your local XR scene, in whatever part of the world, and if you’ve got a story to share, please email xr-newsletter@protonmail.com with ‘Story Contribution’ in the subject line. For major bonus points, it’d also be really helpful if you could write the story as you’d like it to appear in the newsletter!

Upcoming Activity

International Rebellion

15 APR | 11:00 | GLOBAL

That’s right, the moment we’ve all been waiting for is almost upon us. In less than a week’s time the International Rebellion will begin and thousands of us will be descending on our cities to shut down the streets and demand our governments take immediate action to address the climate catastrophe we all face.

Starting at 11am on Monday 15th April, we will meet at Parliament Square in London before holding five of London’s busiest, municipal areas and bringing the city to a standstill. We will hold a full-scale festival of collective action and creative resistance with people’s assemblies, art actions, stage performances, talks, workshops, food and family spaces.

There is so much going on and we want to make sure you’re all prepared for the week(s) ahead. So check out our comprehensive guide packed with useful information including a map, a timeline, and a legal overview.

Earth March: Marchers Arrival Celebration

14 APR | 17:00 – 18:00 | Hyde Park, London

Earth Marchers are walking from as far away as Land’s End in Cornwall to join the Rebellion. They’ve braved hard weather and hard roads to join us. For those who live in London already, or those who couldn’t join the marchers earlier: let’s give them the welcome they deserve by joining the last leg of the journey, and coming together in Hyde Park for a celebration on the eve of our Rebellion.

The final day’s march will begin on the morning of the 14th at locations around the perimeter of London; if you’d like to join the marchers, please see the Facebook event to find your nearest route.

The reception at Hyde Park will include speeches, music (details to come), training, dancing and food. Marchers and Rebels are encouraged to set up tents to stay in Hyde Park overnight.

The South Central Rebel Ride

12-15 APR | Southampton to London

Join the Rebel Riders who are cycling from Southampton to London to join the International Rebellion! You can either ride the whole way or join for short or long sections of the route through Hampshire and Surrey from 12th to 15th April. The South Central Rebel Ride is one of many marches and rides heading for London for April 15th.

Route: between Southampton, Eastleigh, Petersfield, Hankley Common, Guildford, Woking, Kingston-upon-Thames and London.

Find out more on how to join the route and times here.

Fashion Circus: Dress to Excess

12 APR | 6.30pm | Oxford Circus, London


London’s Oxford Circus – the epicentre of fast-fashion – is getting taken over. The iconic zebra crossing will be transformed into a catwalk as Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action teams up with performers, musicians, and sustainable designers to throw light on the environmental cost of the fashion industry.

The theme “Fashion Circus: Dress to Excess” speaks to a throwaway culture of overconsumption and waste which pervades the entire economy, not just the clothing sector.

If you can’t join the party in person, the event will be broadcast live via mainstream and social media ( #xrfashioncircus).

Creative Actions

For creative actions and to join the preparation for the rebellion, please see our full list of upcoming XR Arts events!

Mrs Noah

15 APR | 18:00-18:20 | Parliament Square, London

A comic take on a medieval mystery play in the age of climate change.

Invisible Circus

15 APR | TBC | Parliament Square, London

Join the circus! We need – performers / supporters / theatre and dance people!

Red Brigade is a slow motion Buto meets Venice Carnival style procession aiming to create beautiful disruption using the architecture of the streets to create powerful and arresting imagery, moving in flocking style in en masse improvisation. dress fully in red (shoes, gloves, headgear a must – skin is sin!) with white face red lips and black eyebrows, extra fabric and face paint will be provided.

Mermaid Queens and crustation nation is a more lively and interactive musical procession with Plastik Paradisco aiming to draw attention to ocean pollution, come as your favourite sea creature or Mermaid queen and join the parade.

Street Circus Cabaret: we will also be supporting and participating in Circus processions putting performances on a mobile cabaret stage to bedazzle stranded commuter and bewildered tourists showing humans are capable of beautiful and impossible things! – this is hoping to use the Swarming idea but taken to the next level so we need supporters to surround and protect this action whilst holding up the traffic.

Upcoming: The Regeneration Game

The XRPD (Extinction Rebellion Performing Arts Department) proudly and humbly invite you to join a spontaneously generated, collectively created, fully immersive, symbolic, rebellious rite of renewal: THE REGENERATION GAME.

Keep an eye on The XR Regeneration Game Facebook page for playing times and locations.

Act Now

XR Mass MP Letter Writing Campaign

Until 19 APR

It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword. Now it is time to wield that particular weapon.

We are calling for a massed letter writing campaign to flood MP’s with our concerns about the climate crisis.

Take up your pens and ask your MP to sign the Caroline Lucas led Early Day Motion #2177 to declare a climate emergency. Demand they accept the need to have the people take the lead on addressing the ecological crisis by supporting the widening call for a citizens’ assembly for the climate emergency.

You can find your local MP here and more details about the campaign here.

International Highlights

Three Die-ins in Switzerland

18 + 20 MAR, 5 APR

Rebels in the city of Neuchâtel have performed three die-ins in recent weeks. While the first two aimed to highlight the overall message of Extinction Rebellion, the third one was specifically targeting telecommunications companies to protest the release of 5G. Rebels pointed out that faster connection speeds come with increased emissions, and that relentless progress and consumption is unsustainable and unacceptable.

Protest at Museum Opening in France

31 MAR

Rebels used the opening of the new Science and Nature Museum of Bordeaux to draw attention to the ecological crisis and the systemic problems causing it. Some rebels performed a die-in while others spoke to the assembled crowd.

Arty Rebels in Ireland

2 APR

Showing that rebellion can occur in any way and at any scale, a family at a beach in Wexford, Ireland created the Extinction Rebellion symbol out of sand and seaweed. They said, “The most interesting thing was people who stopped to watch us and ask what we were doing it for – it was a great way to get the conversation started”.

Supportive Marathon Runners in Spain

7 APR

Rebels hung a banner from a bridge across the route of the half marathon in Madrid, to remind runners and spectators that we are all running against the clock to halt the climate catastrophe. They were pleased to receive a lot of encouragement from runners passing below.

Announcements

Last Chance – Legal Observer Training

13 APR | 12.00 – 17.00 | XR London Office, 184-192 Drummond St.

Don’t miss the last Legal Observer Training before the big event! More Legal Observers are needed for International Rebellion so please come along.

You’ll often see legal observers at demonstrations wearing bright orange bibs. Despite having no official status, theirs is an important role recognised by bodies like the Courts and the U.N.

This training session will cover key legal guidelines for protesters, how to take Legal Observer notes, how to monitor arrests, and the legalities around Stop & Search. This is important work so if you’re interested, please come along.

If you can’t make the full training, we’re also offering an online Arrest Watch training on Thursday, 11th April, 6-9.30pm – register here. Arrest Watch trainings are not the same as Legal Observer trainings and are not meant to replace them. They are much more about providing rebels with insight into the full arrestee support system (rather than just what’s going on at an action) and showing them how they can become part of it. You can find more information here.

We’re still in urgent need of more legal observers (LOs) and back office supporters for the rebellion! If you can help us out, even if only for one shift, please sign up on our rota. Only people who attended the full 5-hour GBC LO training should sign up for legal observing. Anyone can help out in the back office but it’s preferable that you attend an Arrest Watch training beforehand.

XR Legal Support – read these two guides.

With actions come consequences. And with XR actions come legal consequences.

So make sure you are well versed on XR’s legal strategy here and the practicalities of arrest here before partaking in any International Rebellion fun on the 15th.

The basic XR Legal Strategy is to tell the truth about the climate emergency and the urgent need for a radical change of course. If you’re arrested and prosecuted for your actions, the courts present an opportunity to do that.

The XR Legal Strategy Team has developed these documents to support you through the legal process, whether you have external legal representation or elect to represent yourself. They are designed to help you explain why your actions are a reasonable and proportionate response to the crisis and include a letter of support from the leading climate scientist and activist, Professor Jim Hansen.

XR Circle of Counsel: Questions & Reflections on the Rebellion

12 APR | 6.00 – 7.30pm |

The first gathering of the XR Circle of Counsel will be a valuable opportunity to hear renowned rebels, authors, facilitators and mischief-makers discuss XR’s present and future.

Confirmed attendees include Micah White, Miki Kashtan, Anne-Marie Culhane, Dominic Barter, Toni Spencer, and Helen Meads.

More details on the event can be found here and you can submit your questions for the gathering to xr-counsel@protonmail.ch

Learning to hold the world in our heart: Holding an Intention Field for our rebellion actions

In the Vision Sensing group we are continuing to ‘build a loving field’ to support the rebellious acts that many are courageously undertaking.

There will be many opportunities during the Rebellion weeks in London to contribute to building a collective vision of the future we wish.

To help support those undertaking rebellious acts we have an online “intention field” Facebook group, “Holding the World in our Hearts”, which we invite you to join. Together we hold the intention to move through our planetary crisis with “love in action” and “love in stillness”. We lean into the riches of our imagination and curiosity and through our hearts into leadership. Please join us and dedicate your sacred practices to this vision. We hold regular ‘virtual meetups’ where we can contribute our love, our intentions and our spiritual and heart-led capacities for creating a more beautiful world. Please join us!

We will also be holding Intention Circles during the first week of Rebellion in London, and details of these will be advertised within the Holding the World in our Hearts Facebook group. So watch this space and join us.

Internal newsletter

Want to get the inside track on developments in XR UK? If you’d like to be added to the internal newsletter, please email xr-newsletter@protonmail.com with ‘Internal subscribe’ in the subject line.

XR Blog

XR Blog seeks submissions on an ongoing basis, from rebels from all walks of life. Minimal writing experience is required. If you’re stuck for content we can provide a variety of writing briefs. Please contact us on xrblog@protonmail.com

News & Recommended Content

1.BP has been convicted of environmental crime in South Africa

For a seemingly minor crime of building petrol stations without the proper environmental authorisations, but apparently the first successful private prosecution in SA on environmental grounds, which potentially ‘opens the door for a large number of similar prosecutions, perhaps on thousands of counts of historic environmental crimes never prosecuted by the state’.

2. ‘Dead corals don’t make babies’ in the Great Barrier Reef

Reproductive material was down 89% in 2018 after successive mass bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 according to a study in Nature. Here’s what we’re missing:

In related news this was the hottest March in Australian history – ‘Despite two severe tropical cyclones in the northern states, temperatures across Australia were 2.13C above the average.’

3. Saudi Arabia’s largest oil field producing 35% less than previously announced

Ghawar, which is the largest conventional oil field in the world, can pump out a maximum of 3.8 million barrels of oil per day, not the 5.8 million claimed by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in 2017. No mention of climate change but surprisingly some discussion of peak oil in this Bloomberg article which finishes by noting revised estimates that Ghawar has ‘48.2 billion barrels of oil left, which would last another 34 years at the maximum rate of production’. Meanwhile, a panel of judges at the ‘Permanent People’s Tribunal’ has urged the United Nations to ban fracking, though regrettably this is again just an ‘advisory opinion’.

4. Promising new campaign: Natural Climate Solutions

Championing all the ways that restoration of ecological communities can contribute to carbon sequestration. Importantly they observe that this shouldn’t be used to enable ongoing CO2 emissions, and insist that projects ‘work with the guidance and free, prior and informed consent of indigenous people and other local communities’. Here’s an introductory article by co-founder and usual suspect (!) George Monbiot with links to some remarkable new research.

5. Living Without OilThis free online course through The Open University explores oil’s role in society and the economy and the danger of carrying on with the current status quo. Some of the topics covered include the debate surrounding peak oil, oil consumption in the UK, how greenhouse gasses and particulates are produced through reactions, and even a bit of basic chemistry notation. This is an eye opening course that clearly outlines some of the key reasons why action is needed now to combat climate change and protect the environment from the big oil companies

6. Why the Guardian is putting global CO2 levels in the weather forecast

As CO2 levels continue to rise The Guardian has made the decision to publish current global CO2 levels in their daily weather forecast. As CO2 levels fluctuate naturally with the seasons they will be also publish the level for the same day on the previous year and the pre-industrial level.

7. The false promises of ‘green growth’

Important critique of the renewable energy industry and moves towards a ‘green new deal’. The key point being that, without a challenge to ongoing economic growth and ballooning global energy consumption ‘the energy it produces has been in addition to, rather than instead of fuel-based energy sources’. She also mentions the environmental impacts of mining for the necessary component parts, especially rare earth metals – a catastrophe on land and lately being prospected under the sea (including ecologically invaluable hydrothermal vents). Apart from anything else these are all nonrenewable resources which, as with oil & gas, will hit a peak and become depleted within a short space of time, especially if there is a concerted effort to upscale their use to keep the unsustainable economic system going for as long as possible. ‘To change our energy model requires doubling the production of rare metals every 15 years, and will require extracting over the next 30 years more minerals than humanity has extracted over the last 70000 years’. This graphic illustrates the scale of the problem:

8. How Climate Change is Fuelling the US Border Crisis

An engaging, long-form New Yorker piece investigating the impact of climate change and extreme weather on subsistence farmers in Guatemala’s western highlands. Many have been forced to emigrate, leaving villages as ghost towns. Others stayed, fighting back with new agricultural methods and meteorological technology, only for the Trump administration to defund the programs that were assisting them. “In most of the western highlands, the question is no longer whether someone will emigrate but when. ‘Extreme poverty may be the primary reason people leave,’ [said] Edwin Castellanos, a climate scientist at the Universidad del Valle… ‘But climate change is intensifying all the existing factors.’”

9. Forests are a Low-Tech but High Impact Way to Fight Climate Change

Recent research has demonstrated that preserving and replanting forests can have a profound effect on climate change, in addition to other ecological and economic benefits. As the piece reports, “natural climate solutions such as conservation and restoration of forests, along with improvements in land management, can help us achieve 37 percent of our climate target of limiting warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.”

10. Inside the rebellion

Two long-term XR participants speak about their experiences of the movement and share their thoughts on how to take it forward: ‘Scenes From a Rebellion’, an in-depth piece by James Westcott from the bridge occupations to April 15th, and ‘Forging identities through collective action’, a podcast with XR strategist and lawyer Mothiur Rahman looking at issues around belonging and ‘vulnerable honesty’. Worth passing on to those unfamiliar with the movement.

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Thank you

Thank you for reading. There’s so much exciting stuff going on that we barely have time to write this sign-off. Keep up the good work! If you have any questions or queries, please get in touch at xr-newsletter@protonmail.com.

This newsletter was written collaboratively by a hivemind of 12 rebels.

As we enter this crucial phase in human history, our Rebellion will need money to make sure our message is heard. Anything you can give is appreciated. Please visit our Fundrazr page.

Alternatively, standing orders or money transfers should be made to our Triodos Bank Account (Sort code: 16-58-10 Account No: 20737912) in the name of Compassionate Revolution Ltd (the holding company for Rising Up!).

Alternatively, if you’re a PayPal user (or more comfortable with PayPal), PayPal payments can be made to info@risingup.org.uk.For queries contact Dave Nicks (dave.nicks@btinternet.com).

Greetings Rebels!

Welcome to the 18th Extinction Rebellion Newsletter, another rip-roaring guide to events happening and events happened in the XR universe.

Highlights wise, let’s start with the bare essentials and the eleven brave rebels who got naked this week in the public gallery of the Houses of Parliament. Reminding everyone that yes, there is a climate crisis, and no, it cannot be ignored, this cheeky bit of action garnered a whole lot of media attention. Normally it’s the Mail and Murdoch press ogling the flesh, but this bevy of buttocks even made it onto the front page of The Guardian. Not too shabby.

Paint the streets meanwhile, XR’s DIY guerrilla marketing campaign, has got off to a fly(post)ing start – with XR posters and stickers sprouting up across the globe like little truth mushrooms. Special creative bonus points to the rebels who printed their own clothes pegs and clipped them onto commuters! More details below and more updates here.

Casting our collective gaze further afield we have updates on XR Ghana and how it is forging links across West Africa, details of a die-in by Dutch rebels in Amsterdam’s financial district, and a full blown funeral for the Earth in Cape Town.

But despite all this excellent hustle and bustle on behalf of our planet, the great day of International Rebellion must not be forgotten. Yes, April 15th looms larger and more lustrous than ever, so lets make sure our affinity groups are ready with all the latest details. A comprehensive guide to the event is available here.

And if you’re in London on the 14th, please consider coming to join our incredible Earth Marchers​ for the final day’s walking, as they converge on Hyde Park from all sides of London. Let’s give them the welcome they deserve!

If you’d like to get more involved with XR, and really why wouldn’t you, please check out our volunteers page. If you prefer to keep it close to home, why not get in touch with your nearest XR group. And if you’re time poor, but able to spare a few coins, maybe you could drop them into our fundraiser pot.

You can check out local upcoming events on our website at rebellion.earth/events. Or create your own event by filling in our talks and trainings form! If you’re new, or haven’t already seen it, remember to check out our Campaign Overview Document. It’s basically the DNA of XR.

Contents

• Recent Activity
• Upcoming Activity
• Act now
• International Highlights
• Announcements
• News & Recommended Content

Recent Activity

Rebels strip off in House of Commons

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.

Earth March Update

As the International Week of Rebellion looms closer, Earth Marchers have continued their journey towards London, buoyed by the support of people along the way: the Bath and Bristol group reaching All Cannings, Devizes, while the Cornwall group reached Bruton, stopping by Yeovil MP Marcus Fysh’s office on the way. Meanwhile other groups are gearing up for their March beginning this week including: the Colchester March setting off on 9^th April; the Brighton March on 7^th April; the Ashdown forest March also setting off on the 7^th April along the Greenwich Meridian, amongst others.

This week, Maddy Adams shares her experience from the Cardiff to Swansea XR March on the Earth March blog:

‘It was joyous to be walking in the glorious sunshine, through beautiful countryside with fabulous friends old and new.

Felt hugely grateful to the public, supporting and nourishing us along the way, and to the XR members who greeted us at our destination.

Felt thankful for the hundreds and hundreds of “honks” of support and thumbs up from drivers passing us on the roads.

Felt inspired by the teacher who listened to us sing to his schoolchildren at the school gates, as they left school for the day.

Total admiration for Laurie 87, still marching, still caring, still fighting for a better world.’

You can read the full post here

If you’re interested in joining the Earth March for part of the journey, please look at their Facebook page:

Tower Hamlets Street Party

30th April

Saturday 30th April, XR London had there third Saturday Street Party, following Crouch End’s on the 24th March. It was another family friendly day, with local residents holding a communal space for creative discussion of how to deal with the climate and ecological crisis. Discussion centred around the key local issue of air pollution, with children in Tower Hamlets having “stunted lungs”, 5-10% smaller than they should be – according to a 2018, large scale study by King’s College London.

Blocking the main junction in Bethnal Green for twenty minutes, the group followed a samba led procession into a park, where a numbers of speakers and performers were heard, for an uplifting day of solutions focused discussion. This celebration of our collective power followed Tower Hamlets Council declaring a climate emergency on the 20th March. Over 40 Councils have declared a climate emergency since Extinction Rebellions Declaration day in October 2018.

Manchester Street Party

31st March

Sunday 31st March, Manchester rebels put on a fantastic street party in Stevenson Square. The sun was out, the shops opened their doors to join in, and the community came together in a beautiful fun filled day. Manchester DJs B L O O M performed, with a number of local bands supporting, to spread the love with amazing music – all pedal powered! The food was home-made or saved from going to landfill, with donations pouring in at the vintage market stall. The samba band held the day together and attracted people from across the city – with conga lines going for hours. It was a beautifully rebellious day for Manchester.

Paint the Streets

Paint the Streets officially kicked off on Sunday 31st March with rebels all over the globe plastering XR posters and stickers in public spaces. Rebels have been working hard to break the law and get the XR message out there in places ranging from London to Berlin to Austin. The London Underground might have been worst hit with the XR adornments stuck all over stations and billboards in as many awkward spots as possible, and there has been a makeshift ‘nature’s graveyard’ in Bethnal Green, with animals at risk of extinction named on the gravestones. One clever group of troublemakers have printed ‘Rebel for Life’ on clothes pegs and have been clipping them to coats of tourists and commuters. Bravo, you lot!

Regional groups have also been doing their bit, such as in Bristol where young rebels have been painting murals encouraging onlookers to join in the fun.

Harmonie, writing to us from Exeter, says:

We painted the streets of Exeter with chalks, posters, leaflets and stickers. We displayed the XR message on bus stops, doors, cashpoints and shop windows. We adorned the statues in the city with big banners and held a stall all day printing XR logos on anything we were offered. Our day ended with a die in on private land in a shopping centre where the police who had been lovely all day stepped back and let us protest in peace.

Please keep an eye out for updates by following the Facebook event here.

Critical Mass

Rebel riders swarmed the streets last Friday, handing out leaflets to passers by as they rode their bikes around Central London. Rebels set off from Waterloo Bridge at 6:30pm wearing high vis jackets and clad with leaflets containing information about International Rebellion Week starting on 15th April.

Story contributions

Decentralisation is a key element of XR’s ethos. So while high-profile actions will often take place in the big cities, we’re eager to celebrate all the amazing actions across the country and the world every week. If you’re involved in your local XR scene, in whatever part of the world, and if you’ve got a story to share, please email xr-newsletter@protonmail.com with ‘Story Contribution’ in the subject line. For major bonus points, it’d also be really helpful if you could write the story as you’d like it to appear in the newsletter!

Upcoming Activity

Taunton Rebellion Day – Samba March

6 APR | 11:00 | Taunton High Street, Taunton

This week, Taunton XR organises its first event: a peaceful Samba March through Taunton to raise awareness of the sixth mass extinction, climate change and ecological breakdown. They are meeting on the High Street at 11am calling everyone to join them for a Day of Rebellion.

You can see details of the event on

Climb for the Earth, family-friendly parade and climb

7 APR | 15:00 | Llanberis, Wales

On Sunday 7th of April the world class climber James McHaffie will climb a new route in North Wales – and name it after Extinction Rebellion. He will raise an Extinction Rebellion banner to draw attention to the climate emergency and to mark the countdown to International Rebellion.

Join James and other climbers: XR Earth Climb and Parade, Llanberis, Wales

Ahead of this, and to mark the event, on the 7th of April there will be a family friendly parade in Llanberis from 3pm until 4pm. Starting at the Electric Mountain Visitor Centre (beside the lake), we’ll walk along the lakeside and finish at Pete’s Eats where James will give a talk. In addition to James’ talk local people will talk about their concerns about the changes to the landscape that they have seen over the years.

The dress code is ‘animal’ so come dressed up if you can. Enjoy the festivities and have fun with this unique and important event.

Look at the Facebook page for details of the event

Local section of Earth March – Brighton to Peacehaven

7 APR | 13:30 | Palace Pier, Brighton

On Sunday 7^th April, the Earth March from Brighton will set off, with a fully accessible and family-friendly walk along the undercliff path. Along the way, marchers will encounter: a Rebel Piano; a Fun Beach Cleaning opportunity; and of course, tea and cake! Other ideas are very welcome, including poems and readings, meditation by the sea or rockpooling.

Anyone wishing to join the March is invited to meet 1.30pm at the Palace Pier for a 2pm start.  At the end of the March, people can easily return to Brighton independently via public buses on the coastal route.

The full path available here :

See also the Facebook page for the event on

XR Fashion Action: Circus of Excess

12 APR | 18:30 – 19:30 | Oxford Circus

Join the Fashion Circus – dynamic sustainable fashion show in the street at Oxford Circus on 12th April then swarm to Buckingham Palace to demand a response from the queen (bee)! Rebels will be taking over London’s Oxford Circus, the epicentre of the fast-fashion shopping “experience”. The Tokyo-style zebra ‘X’ crossing is to be turned into a catwalk as XR Fashion Action teams up with students from art and fashion colleges and universities all over London to showcase their sustainable fashion and body-protest designs. The theme “Fashion: Circus of Excess” addresses issues of un-sustainability in fashion and how its practices impact other species.

The models will parade across the iconic crossing, accompanied by the XR choir and XR musicians. This will include opera singers and an amplified string quartet performing Beethoven’s ‘Ode An Die Freude’ (Ode to Joy) from his Symphony number 9, drums ensemble “EarthNicht”, and blues band Gabriel Byrd and the Ambitious Bastards.  Surrounding the performers in a circle will be XR cyclists, there to provide both protection and lighting.

Find out more on the Facebook event here.

Power Beyond Borders – Solidarity Event

26 – 30 JUL | South East England (Specific Timings & Location TBA)

Are you against new fossil fuel power stations and racist border policies in the UK? If so, this mass action camp might be just the event for you.

Power Beyond Borders is your chance to meet people from across Europe and beyond, have a great time protesting for climate and migrant justice, and take direct action over two urgent injustices: Drax Power’s plan to start building Britain’s biggest gas fired power station this autumn.

 And Theresa May’s ‘Hostile Environment’ policy, a scheme that inflicts raids, imprisonment, and violent deportation on those seeking refuge in the UK.

The camp is being hosted by Reclaim The Power (RTP) a national network fighting social and environmental and economic justice through direct action. Everyone is welcome this summer, and there are three things you can do right now to make the camp a success.




1) Fill in this short form to let RTP know you are coming and what skills you might bring. 

2) Spread the word on social media (Facebook Page #PowerBeyondBorders #ClimateJustice #MigrantJustice) 

3) Contact RTP to host a workshop or find out more (powerbeyondborders@protonmail.com)

When the location is announced, we’ll let you know.

Samba for Rebellion

APR 13 – 14 | Near Euston (TBD)

Two samba drumming groups are coming to London on 13 April to support protests, block roads and teach samba over the following weeks! On Sat 13th and Sun 14th of April we are organising two days of samba practice in preparation for the International Rebellion in London. All skill levels welcome!

If you would like to join the XR Samba Band, don’t hesitate! XR have invested in the drums and we need players. We are going to have at least two Samba bands and the workshops will likely be near Euston. Please sign up using the Facebook link here.

Act Now

1. Join our call for MPs to sign the Parliamentary motion to declare Climate Emergency.

We’re asking all XR members living in the UK to write to their MPs. This will be a concerted push of ‘soft pressure’ before we take to more disruptive measures on the 15th of April; we’re looking for hundreds of letters. Find out more about the motion here.

Contact your MP ( or ).

2. Make or sponsor a dead canary

From the 15th of April, thousands in the UK will be making our way to London to be involved in non violent direct action to pressure the government to change their planet wrecking policies. Many people want to have their voice heard but aren’t able to make it to London … so send a message – send an emissary to represent you, your group, your village. The Irish Prime Minister said ‘If we were miners we would be up to our knees in dead canaries’ … send a beautiful dead canary to represent you: make it yourself, in a group, at school and send it along to the International Rebellion with your local XR group.

If you can’t make a canary yourself, but still want to support the work of XR, you can sponsor a canary: we’ll make your canary and take it with us to the International Rebellion – and we’ll pile them high as a visual manifestation of our predicament. We’d like the whole of the UK to be represented! Start making your canaries now, about hand size is good, make them YELLOW with a string to hang them by, reuse, recycle, use what you have! We need diversity. We need to show the government the damage their policies are doing! Can’t wait to see your amazing Dead Canary Emissaries!

3. Message 50 friends and invite them to join the International Rebellion.

It could be the most important thing you ever do on social media. To be heard by those in power,  we need a multitude of people to join us in rebellion from April 15. We can probably offer accommodation to those who need it. Please fill in this form to request or offer accommodation in London and/or email xr.accommodation@gmail.com for queries. We’ve booked coaches from all over the country. Every single one of you counts.

International Highlights

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 theRise 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.

Announcements

PIEL Environmental Law Conference 2019 – Solidarity Event

12 APR | 9.30 – 5.30pm | Cast Business School, London

A number of leading academics and legal specialists (including XR’s very own Farhana Yamin!) will be speaking next Friday about why environmental law is crucial to solving the climate crisis.

Run by students and hosted by Public Interest Environmental Law UK, this conference will explore the theme “12 years to mitigate, legislate and litigate: How can environmental law adapt in time?”

Whether you’re a legal eagle or just passionate about ending environmental injustice, the event promises to be an inspiring and insightful day of discussion.

Student and adult tickets are available here.

Arrestibles willing to be in the media

Are you new to activism and planning to get arrested for the first time during the International Rebellion? The XR media team is looking for people like you, from around the country, whose stories we can share with the mainstream press.  If you’ve recently been inspired to join the movement and to take non-violent direct action for the first time, we would love to hear from you.

Please email zoeblackler@gmail.com asap

Internal newsletter

Want to get the inside track on developments in XR UK? If you’d like to be added to the internal newsletter, please email xr-newsletter@protonmail.com with “Internal subscribe” in the subject line.

XR Blog

XR Blog seeks submissions on an ongoing basis, from rebels from all walks of life. Minimal writing experience is required. If you’re stuck for content we can provide a variety of writing briefs. Please contact us on xrblog@protonmail.com

News & Recommended Content

1. US Judge Rules Against Trump’s Offshore Drilling Expansion

A coalition of indigenous Alaskans and environmental groups has won a victory against the Trump administration’s offshore drilling policy. In 2017 Trump signed an executive order overturning Obama’s ban on offshore drilling in 500,000 square acres of the continental shelf, including the Arctic and the Atlantic coast, but the court has ruled that only Congress has the authority to reintroduce drilling. Athan Manuel of the Sierra Club described the outcome as “great news for the Arctic Ocean, great news for the planet, great news for the fight against climate change”.

2. Most Americans Now Worry about Climate Change – And Want to Fix It

Two new surveys reveal that recent natural disasters and extreme weather have shifted US public opinion on the reality and seriousness of climate change. The percentage of Americans who say global warming is personally important has risen to 72%, while 60% agreed that it is caused by human activity, and nearly half would support carbon taxes.

3. Evidence for Climate Change Meets Physics’ Gold Standard

A new analysis shows that the evidence for climate changes passes the highest evidentiary bar in the field of physics, known as five sigma, putting “a nail in the coffin” of denier theories.

4. Antarctic Project to Drill for Oldest-Ever Ice Core

An international team of geoscientists funded by the European Commission is planning to sample a 1.5 million-year-old Antarctic ice core this June. Ice cores are a key form of evidence about the Earth’s past climate, but no ice older than 800,000 years has yet been retrieved. The team hopes that finding ice of this age will improve our understanding of the climate oscillations that regularly affected the Earth before the climate stabilised about one million years ago. “This iconic project will help us better understand climate change in the past and to come”, says principal investigator Carlo Brabante of the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

5. A Reading List on Women and Climate Change

Yale University’s Climate Connections blog has published a list of twelve must-read books on gender and climate change, writing that “the challenges posed by climate change cannot be met without also addressing gender issues. Because their lives are more vulnerable even under stable conditions, women face greater risks when climate-related impacts – droughts, floods, hurricanes – disrupt their communities. Conversely, giving women more power over their lives typically results in more resilient communities.”

6. China state investment giant drops coal

Not unqualified good news as investments have ‘merely been shifted to another state-run vehicle’ and there has been ‘a surge in new mines at local government level’ but significant because of the precedent it sets for investors shifting from coal to renewables. Meanwhile in Cumbria a 165m undersea coal mine has been ‘unanimously approved’ by conservative, labour and lib-dem councillors, claiming that an increase in jobs and local investment ‘outweighed concerns about climate change’

7. Widespread loss of pollinating insects in Britain

New study comparing samples from 1980 to ones taken in 2013. Typically framed to emphasise their role as providers of ‘ecosystem services’ in support of agriculture but at least they note that ‘Non-crop pollinators are also vital for a healthy countryside rich in biodiversity; not only because of their crucial role in pollinating wildflowers, but as a key food resource for other wildlife’.

8. The Middle East’s Authoritarians Have Come for Conservationists

‘Debilitating droughts, worsening pollution, and soaring temperatures have contributed to severe resource scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa in recent years. And as environment-related unrest has proliferated, with protests in at least a dozen regional countries, people who were previously viewed as largely harmless “tree huggers” have been reappraised as spy-gear-wielding, frontier-traipsing, data-sharing threats.’

9. Why Stopping Wars Is Essential for Stopping Climate Change

Interesting analysis connecting up anti-militarism with environmentalism. She argues that the strategic military goals of securing access to oil fields during the two world wars has carried on into the postwar period, only with more of the resources allocated for machinery in civilian life. Warfare still emits huge amounts of CO2 as well as wrecking ecosystems more directly: ‘It has been estimated that 20% of all environmental degradation around the world is due to military and related activities.’

10. Excellent video by Derrick Jensen ‘Running Into Solid Limits’

I think his point about national parks and nature reserves being a playground or retreat for the wealthy generalises to western countries in general: the horrors of civilisation (wars, famines, slavery, epidemic diseases, totalitarian dictatorships, environmental destruction etc.) have in effect been externalised to the global south while western populations can entertain progressive notions of relative equality, democracy and ecological health, living in a strange kind of ‘green zone’ of relative comfort and safety. What happens when the bubble bursts and all those chickens start coming home to roost? This is further complicated by the reliance on fossil fuels to do the majority of the labour formerly done by people and draught animals, making even more ‘liberation’ possible…

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Thank you

Thank you for reading. There’s so much exciting stuff going on that we barely have time to write this sign-off. Keep up the good work! If you have any questions or queries, please get in touch at xr-newsletter@protonmail.com.

This newsletter was written collaboratively by a hivemind of 12 rebels.

As we enter this crucial phase in human history, our Rebellion will need money to make sure our message is heard. Anything you can give is appreciated. Please visit our Fundrazr page.

Alternatively, standing orders or money transfers should be made to our Triodos Bank Account (Sort code: 16-58-10 Account No: 20737912) in the name of Compassionate Revolution Ltd (the holding company for Rising Up!).

Alternatively, if you’re a PayPal user (or more comfortable with PayPal), PayPal payments can be made to info@risingup.org.uk.

For queries contact Dave Nicks (dave.nicks@btinternet.com).