What you need to know
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and Cardiff Rebellion Broadcast!
Are you a local organiser? Check out this handbook!
We need this rebellion. 2020 has been a year of tipping points. Everywhere you look, the system is failing and rage is growing. The social contract between the government and its citizens is broken.
People know the truth: the Government is failing to keep us safe. They acted too late on the pandemic and they’re ignoring warnings from their own official Committee on Climate Change: This negligence could result in billions of deaths, not thousands. The suffering is already being felt most by those in the Global South, indigenous peoples and racially marginalised communities.
The UK Government is guilty of ecocide: they are giving money to destructive industries right now instead of rebuilding our economy to prioritise people and planet. They are racing us to the cliff edge of extinction. We cannot let this happen.
As citizens, we must rise up. It is our duty to raise the alarm as we emerge from the pandemic. People have the power to change this. In everything we do, we raise public support for genuinely democratic action on the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE).
When we rebelled in April 2019, the number of people who thought that the CEE was one of their top 3 concerns almost doubled. This helped to lead to the declaration of a Climate Emergency by Parliament, a commitment to zero carbon by 2050 and the creation of a Citizen’s Assemblies around this target. If our actions can highlight the Government’s unwillingness to protect its citizens — from a pandemic, from structural racism, and from disastrous climate and ecological change — the public will move against them.
This year we are surrounding Parliament. We are coming to Cardiff and Manchester. We come with love and rage. We are offering our Government an invitation to do the right thing, the necessary thing. A Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill has been put together by respected scientists and our Political team. It puts biodiversity devastation alongside the climate crisis and calls for the UK to take full responsibility for its entire international carbon footprint. We know the Government isn’t moving hard or fast enough — the bill would make it law so they have to.
In September, ordinary people, of all ages, races and religions, will stand together to hold Parliament accountable. We are asking everyone who has been betrayed by this Government to join us. Disruption, sacrifice and respect are still at the core of what we do. We know that emotions and actions will drive change, above stats and words. We need to shift hearts and minds. We need to scream out for all we hold dear. This is the time to yell, “We Want To Live!”
Regional Rebellion
Rebels are invited to align across the UK in these themes, in beautiful, coordinated, dispersed actions for August bank-holiday weekend:
- Fri 28th Aug
Mass banner drop across the UK plus Fossil Fuel-focused actions - Sat 29th Aug
Airports and Aviation - Sun 30th Aug
Gather your community: local assemblies, connect, listen, learn - Mon 31st Aug
Permanent Bank ‘holiday’, finance-focused actions
The planning of actions on these days is decentralised, please contact your local group about what is happening in your area, or plan an action yourself: How to Action Guide! If you are planning an action that may get national media attention and would like to communicate with our press team or ask advice, please contact the Weavers: rebellionweavers@protonmail.com
Actions on other themes during this time are already being planned too, such as the Million People’s March in London. The above are suggested aligned themes but not limiting!
From 1st Sept
From 1 September, we will come together to peacefully rebel in London, Cardiff and Manchester. Parliament hasn't earned the right to go back to business as usual until the Climate and Ecological Emergency is taken seriously.
We know that party politics isn’t great in an emergency and that we all need a hand in the way forward. The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill could change our course, making the Government act with the urgency we need and calling for a Citizens' Assembly with real bite. If the CEE Bill were made law, the government would have to act fast, accounting for our entire carbon footprint while protecting nature here and overseas. We need our MPs to step up and support the CEE bill.
In London, we will gather around Parliament Square making sure that our presence is not unnoticed by MPs. There will be something to do for everyone — whether you can be arrested or not, whether you can stay for a week or a day. This time, we will not hold sites day and night although rebels are welcome to plan night vigils or actions if they wish. Most of us will be leaving at night to rest and will return the next morning fresh and recovered. And the next morning. And the morning after that. With creative and impactful actions around Parliament Square and other parts of London, we will keep repeating our message again, and again, calling for the Climate and Emergency Bill to be debated and passed.
In Manchester, we will take and hold space in the centre of the city. Providing a platform to other movements, organisations and individuals to share their struggles with us; so we can better understand how all our battles are really part of the same fight and how we can better fight together.
Following a day of collaboration and disruption in Manchester, we will then turn our attention to Drax power station - the coalburning, tree-burning, single biggest carbon emitter in the UK and absolute kings of greenwash - to demonstrate our power, disgust at the this destructive system, and willingness to face the consequences of checking the power of the ruthlessly profiteering elite in our increasingly unequal society.
Rebels will also gather in Cardiff from the 1st to the 5th September. The main focus of this rebellion will be the CEE Bill but in addition, there will be symbolic actions relating to the Senedd ro raise awareness of XR Cymru’s campaign to have a Welsh Citizens’ Assembly on the post-COVID economic recovery. Those who plan to continue rebelling beyond the 5th September will be able to do so at HS2 sites or in London.
More details on the plans for all three cities are to follow soon.
Challenges
This year will be different to previous rebellions. We are in the middle of a pandemic and we know this will affect our numbers out on the streets. The virus has hit XRUK hard and we are in a weak financial state. We cannot afford to produce the posters, materials and resources we previously had. We are going to be supporting different regions across the UK to bring their own equipment. We won’t be able to support campsites. Instead, we will be supporting as many rebels as possible with accommodation and crowdsourcing places to stay such as religious buildings and community centres. For more on the background on XR’s situation in the build up to Rebellion, check out Rebellion Weaver’s June Report.
For any questions, you can email: UK-wide: [rebellionweavers@ protonmail.com](rebellionweavers@ protonmail.com) Cardiff: cardiff.rebellion@protonmail.com Manchester: rebellion@xrnorth.org or if you’re new to XR and don’t know where to start, email: integration@xrnorth.org
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