Stephen Fry backs XR’s Impossible Rebellion as public pledge £100k in 24 hours - Extinction Rebellion UK
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Stephen Fry backs XR’s Impossible Rebellion as public pledge £100k in 24 hours

August 20, 2021 by Extinction Rebellion

Email: press@extinctionrebellion.uk
Phone:  +447756136396
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  • National treasure thanks ‘sensible’ XR in video statement of support
  • XR crowdfunder tops £300K as donations pour in
  • Thousands expected to join two weeks of protests in Central London, with nearly half new to XR 
  • Action begins in Trafalgar Square at 10am on Monday (23 August)

In a video released today, actor and comedian Stephen Fry backs Extinction Rebellion’s Impossible Rebellion: two weeks of mass civil disobedience which starts on Monday. 

Extinction Rebellion shared the video of support on Twitter, which was then retweeted by Fry, well known as an early adopter of the platform. [1]

In the video which was recorded earlier this week, Fry says: “I know Extinction Rebellion, XR, are mucky and they make a fuss, they are loud, they’re disruptive, they sometimes throw paint and other such things, and they block traffic. But what else is going to make politicians really recalibrate, realign, revolutionise politics, so that it faces the horrors of climate change and all the damage we are doing to our planet?

“Extinction Rebellion seem to be the only people who are sensibly, even if angrily, even if energetically, trying to move society and the world towards this. It’s going to be a heck of a fight, but unless we get together it’s going to be a fight that we’ll lose.”

The group has seen a significant upsurge in interest from the public following extreme weather throughout the summer, including severe flooding in the capital, and the latest report from the IPCC which gave a ‘code red’ warning for humanity. 

Thousands are expected to gather in Trafalgar Square at 10am on Monday, with new members making up 40% of those already committed to join the actions in London – several thousand of those having signed up to join in the last week alone. The crowdfunder for the upcoming ‘Impossible Rebellion’ smashed through the £300K mark this week, with over quarter of a million pounds raised over the last four weeks and £100K of that in just 24 hours on Thursday. [2]

Watch Extinction Rebellion’s promotional video here: 


Maddy Churchhouse, 26, a social worker from Gateshead who recently joined Extinction Rebellion, said: “I’ve known about Extinction Rebellion for a couple of years and have always been supportive of the cause but never actually got involved. This summer, seeing the flooding here in the UK and extreme weather around the world gave me bad climate anxiety.

“I’ve always dealt with my fears about the climate by just getting on with life and burying my head in the sand, but I realised I can’t keep doing that. Stepping up and taking action is a healthier response. So I googled my local XR group in the northeast and got in touch. Now I’m coming down to London and helping with public outreach during the Rebellion.”

Everyone is invited to come down and join in ‘Crisis Talks’ from 10am on Monday in Trafalgar Square.

“With levels of concern about the climate and ecological crisis at a record high, we are doing what the government should have done decades ago and inviting the public in to express their concerns, take meaningful action and talk about how we pull together to deal with this terrifying mess”, said Alfie Watson from Extinction Rebellion’s Crisis Talks Team. [3]

Training and welcome talks will be running at multiple Hubs as well as at occupation sites during the Rebellion. Information for the public on how to get involved will be on the Extinction Rebellion website, extinctionrebellion.uk. 

To keep up with breaking news via our WhatsApp broadcast group for journalists, email your mobile number to press@extinctionrebellion.uk or call our press phone on +447756136396. 

Notes to editors

[1] https://twitter.com/XRebellionUK/status/1428628431047122945

[2] https://chuffed.org/project/extinction-rebellion-uk-2021

[3] https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/high-levels-concern-about-climate-change-scepticism-whether-britons-will-change-behaviours

ABOUT EXTINCTION REBELLION

Time has almost entirely run out to address the ecological crisis which is upon us, including the 6th mass species extinction, global pollution, and increasingly rapid climate change. If urgent and radical action isn’t taken, we’re heading towards 4˚C warming, and the societal collapse and mass loss of life that that implies. The younger generation, racially marginalised communities and the Global South are on the front-line. No-one will escape the devastating impacts.

Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.

Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:

  1. Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
  2. Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
  3. Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

What Emergency? | Extinction Rebellion in Numbers |This Is Not A Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook 

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