(Sign up to the newsletter here) Dear rebels, As Covid-19 spreads and we all slow down to support our communities and NHS, our movement is taking stock. There can be no doubt that this pandemic will mean major change for all of us. We share and support the world’s priority for public health. We encourage […]
The post [url=https://rebellion.earth/2020/03/20/uk-newsletter-11-self-isolating-welcome-back-to-the-community/]UK Newsletter #11: Self-isolating? Welcome back to the community![/url] appeared first on [url=https://rebellion.earth/]Extinction Rebellion[/url].
UK Newsletter #11: Self-isolating? Welcome back to the community!(Sign up to the newsletter
https://youtube.com/watch?v=v=zmQa3xSTm_M
out of wine glasses at the private reception whilst addressing the guests on megaphones.
At Liverpool University, rebels occupied several university buildings over
4 nights. On one of those nights they staged a new class,
‘Climate Justice 101’. The University has offered to meet rebels to discuss their demands.
Meanwhile in Glasgow, students camped out in their University cloisters, protesting the fact that, despite committing to
full divestment from fossil fuels in 2014, Glasgow University has backtracked significantly and has only reduced
its investments
by 25%.
Sara from Columbia took part in the occupation of Imperial College“For me, the climate crisis is the symptom of the wider and far more insane
illness of dominance: over nature, over women, over others.
The climate crisis allows me to engage with feminist solidarity, decoloniality, and especially justice for the communities that have suffered the longest under our current system and that are still fighting tirelessly, spiritually and physically.”
Budget Puts Planet on Backburner
11 MAR | Westminster, London
Courtesy of UKSCN & GND UKThe UK government was
widely condemned by environmental groups after delivering a budget that yet again does not properly address the climate and ecological crisis.
A promised nationwide net-zero infrastructure plan was delayed at the last minute, huge sums were allocated to building new roads, and the
hypocrisy of taxing renewables while subsidies for fossil fuels remain intact for another year.
On budget day,
XR Faith Bridge’s 40 day vigil outside Parliament was visited by Rowan Williams. The former Archbishop of Canterbury called on the government to have the courage and wisdom to deliver climate justice.
Young activists from
UK Student Climate Network and
Green New Deal UK also briefly blockaded Downing Street.
Rowan Williams joins XR Faith Vigil outside ParliamentThis budget is
incompatible with the Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 2°C and the government’s own modest target to be net-zero by 2050.
Despite hosting the
COP26 later this year, our government is setting a terrible example to the world by not taking its own carbon emission pledges seriously.
On Monday, XR Faith Bridge’s continuous 40 day vigil
went online because of the outbreak.
Sue is a Quaker who has taken part in the vigil both at Westminster and online“I committed to XR on the
Day of Declaration. Sitting in the road beside Parliament that day, I knew mass
civil disobedience was necessary, and could be beautiful. Since then, I’ve been on many actions in many places and outgrown fears of all kinds, including arrest.
The Westminster vigil was safe and very calm, and taking part at home has been just as
regenerative and energising. I love that it’s interfaith.
Even alone, I feel deeply connected.”
Upcoming
Back to topShare some Love this Mother’s Day
20-22 MAR | Online
Don’t forget
mother’s day this weekend! Write a personal expression of love for those who have mothered us, for ourselves and for future mothers and grandmothers.
Take part in this easy online action:
- Take a photo of: an item of special meaning to you or your children and post your image to social media and tag #xrfamilies #futuremothers
- Send your picture to Alok Sharma at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) enquiries@beis.gov.uk along with a message about the joint crises we face. Invite him to be brave and act for our present, our children, and our great, great grandchildren.
Miranda from XR Families on why she got involved: “I was sick of feeling
frustrated and alone, and worried about the future. I don’t worry as much now because I put my energy into action. I act for those already affected by the climate emergency, my children’s future and the future of this planet.”
Polluters Out
20 MAR | Online
Kick polluters out of COP. Fossil fuel companies should not take part in climate policy discussions, as they consistently put profits before the planet and people.
A global youth movement has united with scientists to challenge the influence of fossil fuel companies. Join
XR Youth,
UKSCN and
Polluters Out, in creating a
cyber storm of calls and messages to disrupt major polluters’ comms channels for a day! Find out how you can
get involved here.
Citizens Assemblies Webinar
30 MAR | 6.30pm | Online
Want to know more about why we need a
Citizens’ Assembly and how it can help fix our
broken democracy?
Join this online seminar to learn the good (best practice) and the bad (common pitfalls), or
join the Citizens’ Assembly Ambassador Network (CAAN) and we will provide you all the training and materials you need to support your local group. Contact the team at
caan@rebelion.earth.
XR Council
Want to help with making decisions on actions? We are setting up a Council of rebels to
democratise our internal decision making. 30 rebels will be trained, briefed and asked to deliberate on proposals from the Action Circle.
The selection for the Council will be carried out by members of the Citizens’ Assembly Working Group using
sortition to ensure it is
diverse and representative.Sign up here to get involved.
Tech support
Moving your team or actions online and looking for some support? Here is
some guidance on how to use free online video conferencing software
Zoom.
Rebel Ringers to the Rescue
Want to support rebels in your area? Want to connect them to a local volunteer network, or help them get online?
Start your own rebel ringers group from your kitchen table using this
starters pack. Request our new Covid-19 campaign resources for your area using
this formJoin a webinar on
Tuesdays 1pm,
Saturdays 10am,
Sundays 6pm,
Thursdays 7pm to find out more.
Rebel Book Club
With everyone stuck indoors, now is a great time to get through that tower of unread books. Looking for some company or suggestions on where to start? Join
Rebel Bookclub, a new series by XR Podcasts and Writers Rebel, looking at iconic books about the climate and ecological emergency.
We’re starting off with a review of
The Great Derangement by Amitav Ghosh, which questions the
cultural silence around the emergency and looks at issues of
colonialism. Listen here.
Next month’s book will be: David Wallace-Wells’
The Uninhabitable Earth.
News
Back to top
Unsung Heroes of XR
Back to topFelix | A rebel-alchemist of the April Rebellion
Felix, lie-in at Parliament Square October 2018 In today’s Unsung Heroes, we meet Felix, a long-time environmental activist, boater and rewilder. Felix has been involved in XR since the very first action, making himself available
whenever needed and whatever the task.
During the two exhilarating weeks of the April Rebellion, almost a year ago now, Felix was
overall coordinator for sanitation and site coordinator for sanitation at Marble Arch. He helped ensure rebels had access to untainted water, showers and bins; he created compostable toilets on site and arranged for the waste to be removed and suitably disposed of.
Unsung as he may be, we are in no doubt that without his involvement, the two weeks that transformed public discourse on the climate and ecological emergency
would simply not have been the same. Read on to
find out more.
If you know an unsung hero or heroine of XR and you’d like to nominate them for this feature, please get in touch by emailing us at xr-uknewsletter@protonmail.com
Thank you
Thank you for reading. Even as we self-isolate, there’s so much exciting stuff going on in the movement 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-uknewsletter@protonmail.com.
We are in a crucial phase of human history, and our Rebellion needs money to make sure our message is heard. Anything you can give is appreciated. 
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UK Newsletter #11: Self-isolating? Welcome back to the community! appeared first on
Extinction Rebellion.
