Extinction Rebellion Day 2, London to be gridlocked for third day running - Extinction Rebellion UK
Not in the UK? Visit the Global Website.

Extinction Rebellion Day 2, London to be gridlocked for third day running

November 23, 2018 by Extinction Rebellion

For interviews and enquiries, email: press@risingup.org.uk
Phone: +44(0)7878535968 / +44(0)7549766448 / +44(0)7732576590 / +44(0)7535928734 / +44(0) 7479234522
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExtinctionR; #extinctionrebellion
Images comparing normal 9am Thursday traffic to yesterday:
 
  • Met Police warn motorists to avoid London as ‘swarming’ protests enter third consecutive day – ‘We advise not to travel by car or motorbike’
  • Activists resort to blocking traffic hotspots to bring attention to the Government’s criminal inaction in the face of impending social and ecological disaster
  • This Saturday, Rebellion Day 2 will focus on environmental degradation and species loss. People are invited to gather at 10am in Parliament Square for a memorial service, followed by a funeral march to an undisclosed destination.
Extinction Rebellion’s ‘swarming’ protests will continue today from 7am to 3pm, having brought gridlock to London, causing significant economic disruption, on Wednesday and Thursday. These essential protests aim to ensure the public becomes aware of the extinction we all face should Government not act on the climate and ecological emergency. [1]
Protests will continue in locations including Victoria, Earl’s Court, Elephant & Castle and Tower Bridge.  Notable critics include Jim Davidson, James Whales and Norman Tebbit, who bumped into a young female protestor with his car.
Roz Bird from Extinction Rebellion commented: “Desperate times call for bold tactics. Good planets are hard to find. And we very much want one for our children and their children”. 
Extinction Rebellion informed the Metropolitan Police in advance of the protests. The Metropolitan Police have since advised motorists and those with motorbikes to avoid London. [2]
Rebellion Day 2
From 10am this Saturday 24th November, Extinction Rebellion will hold a memorial for Rebellion Day 2 to highlight the Government’s failure to recognise and act on the ecological and climate emergency – the fact we are in the sixth mass extinction. [3]
In a statement, Extinction Rebellion said: 
“We Rebel because we love this world.  It breaks our hearts to see it ravaged, to watch so many people and animals all over this world already dying, to know that this will soon happen to our children if nothing changes. There is no way forward without giving credence to our grief”
“We are serious, this is an emergency, this is our home we are watching fall.“
Last Saturday, Rebellion Day 1 was a celebration of the life on earth the protesters  want to save, as thousands came together in peaceful nonviolent civil disobedience, blocking five bridges deliberately in central London – a first in living memory. Rebellion Day 2, in contrast, will strike a sombre tone and will remember and mourn all the life lost, all the lives we are losing at the moment – around 200 species per day and untold numbers of humans – and the life still to be lost.
Organisers are asking people to come to gather in Parliament Square at 10am this Saturday, dressed in funeral-wear to honour the dead and to bring wreaths, black and white umbrellas, flowers and pictures of extinct animals to lay outside parliament. Homemade signs and personal messages are most welcome. 
With people willing to be arrested on the day to highlight the climate emergency, Extinction Rebellion added:  “If people are arrested on the day, you will hear bells ringing.  Please pause, turn to watch and honour those that are being taken, in silent witness,” 
Protest events are also taking place at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, with a ‘Funeral for the Future’ procession beginning at Sheffield Cathedral, a banner drop from the Menai Bridge in Bangor in North Wales, plus peaceful nonviolent direct action expected in Manchester. A further solidarity event has been called in Berlin, as well as other events nationally and internationally. [4]
Notes:
2. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/22/uk/london-climate-protests-police-warning-scli-gbr-intl/index.html
3. https://www.facebook.com/events/117775565794236/
4. Extinction Rebellion solidarity protest events around the UK and internationally on Saturday 24th November:
In Scotland they are having their own declaration day on Saturday. https://www.facebook.com/events/1061177717398612/?ti=as
In Bangor north wales theres a banner drop planned for the Menai bridge! https://www.facebook.com/events/255145655178816/?ti=as
Manchester is planning direct action https://www.facebook.com/events/180839789450093/?ti=cl
5. About Extinction Rebellion
Time has almost entirely run out to address the ecological crisis which is upon us, including the 6th mass species extinction and abrupt, runaway climate change. Societal collapse and mass death are seen as inevitable by scientists and other credible voices, with human extinction also a possibility, if rapid action is not taken.
Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by its Government. 
Extinction Rebellion’s topline demands are:
  • The Government must admit the truth about the ecological emergency, reverse all policies inconsistent with addressing climate change, and work alongside the media to communicate with citizens
  • The Government must enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and to reduce consumption levels
  • A national Citizen’s Assembly must be created, to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose.
Declaration of Rebellion: https://rebellion.earth/declaration/
6. About RisingUp
The RisingUp network promotes a fundamental change of our political and economic system to one which maximises well-being and minimises harm. Change needs to be nurtured in a culture of reverence, gratitude and inclusion; whilst the tools of civil disobedience and direct action are used to express our collective power.

Related topics

climate ecological emergency Extinction Rebellion Rebellion Day

Sign up for news