XRUK Actions Strategy 2023/24 Phase 1

Building towards the mother of all mass mobilisations in 2024 The one where we stay for as long as it takes Here comes everyone, everywhere

Intro...

Extinction Rebellion was born in 2018 with a single clear mission - to bring so many people onto the streets for so long that the government has no choice but to radically transform a system that threatens to kill us all.

The Big One was a triumph. It proved we can mobilise 100,000 people around the very heart of power to demand the change that we urgently need to survive the climate and ecological crisis. In the critical election year of 2024, the mother of all mass mobilisations will be what XR was born to do: bring all those people and more back on to the streets. And this time we won't go home until a broken political system hands us, the people, the power to save ourselves.

Watch the recording of the Action Strategy Open Call | 25th June 2023

This new action strategy is entirely focused on bringing that exciting vision closer to reality - by empowering and supporting every rebel to grow our amazing movement into an unstoppable force.

Here's how....

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What Next?

Whats-Next.jpegUK Actions Strategy is a Local Strategy.
For the next nine months, XRUK's focus will be amplifying local alliance building and mobilisation actions and activities. Every local action, big or small, is part of the unifying story of UK-wide rebellion because it targets the same problem – the need to upgrade democracy by giving the power to decide our futures back to us, the people.

Local 'Big Ones'.
A project to develop the successes of The Big One locally will help coordinate our energies and increase our visibility and impact. Starting on September 30th, local groups are invited to plan or support six united days of community action, recurring on the last Saturday of every month until February 24th 2024. These local or ‘Little Big Ones’ will focus on local alliance-building, community assemblies and creative nonviolent direct actions. This gives groups up to 6 opportunities to cocreate an event with local communities that have a tangible community benefit and share learning and ideas nationally.

Autonomy.
The priority is to complement local work, not detract from work that is already happening. Some local groups and regions have community focuses with different, relevant dates and actions already being planned, including targeting coal mines and incinerators. These are exactly what’s needed and can be the centre of your days of community action. Other groups might not feel they have capacity to sustain 6 monthly days of action; Regions and Nations may instead choose to focus on a single ‘Local Big One’ event and support other nearby groups in the following months.

Coordination.
XR UK Actions Circles will facilitate decentralised organising to amplify common local issues nationwide and focus on tailoring support to the diverse needs of local groups, including the sharing of ‘flatpack’ recipes for successful actions around Dirty Water, Clean Air, Biodiversity, collective non-payment of energy and water bills, debt, Housing and Detention Centres and more.

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3 Demands

1. TELL THE TRUTH. PAINT THE STREETS.
Being visible across the country is a key tactic to build appetite for political change. XR and other movements such as Otpor!, have been most successful using bold and beautiful messages to amplify the size of the movement. Be audacious and use humour in your designs. Use all your old posters and flyers. Blank out the dates. A symbol is a symbol!

We are Extinction Rebellion. We are everywhere. We are here demanding change and doing the work. Paint symbols, put posters in your windows, fly your flags, hand out leaflets, and take nonviolent direct action right now.

2. ACT NOW. COLLABORATIVE ACTIONS.
Relationship-building is strategic. No group or movement can change the system alone. Collaborating on nonviolent direct actions with allies, especially unlikely allies, is impactful on multiple levels and brings the wider ecology of movements closer to a moment of sustained resistance. Relationships Circle is leading the work with national supporters of The Big One and identifying new allies to collaborate on actions that reflect the intersectional nature of the climate and ecological emergency (CEE). Our greatest strength is unity, not uniformity.

3. DECIDE TOGETHER. CITIZEN-LED DEMOCRACY.
With poverty and inequality increasing, government corruption clearly visible, and inflation out of control, it is evident to a growing number that the current political system will not and cannot fix the ecological and social crises it has created. Now is the perfect time to step up our campaign on citizen-led decision making.

A new action campaign around Citizens Assemblies, and possibly the Sortition Foundation’s call for a House of Citizens to replace the House of Lords, will get changing the UK’s political system into round-the-dinner-table conversations and onto the national agenda.

Meanwhile, the Community Assemblies initiative can bring more people together and into contact with the transformative experience of assemblies locally. This could be a table in your town centre, connecting with local residents, or a picnic in your park with families and community groups. The importance is to have these conversations within your community in order for people to experience the power of deliberative democracy, so that better informed conversations can be opened on XR's third demand for a Citizen's Assembly on the climate and ecological emergency.

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State Repression

THE PUBLIC ORDER ACT, POLICE, CRIME, SENTENCING & COURTS ACT AND MORE.
The state has increased its powers to prevent protest, as predicted when Extinction Rebellion was founded. This is part of the process of change. Now is not the moment to turn back. Today's laws are likely to be more lenient than tomorrow’s and our inaction at this shifting picture brings greater risks of intensified attacks on protest and repression of dissidents.

There is greater public awareness around the criminalisation of protest and free speech, the too often violent and lawless behaviour of the police, especially towards Black, Indigenous, People of colour, women, disabled people, Roma and Travellers and the LGBTQ+ community. More people acknowledge the corrupting influence of money in politics and policing.

Clever and satirical action designs will deepen public sympathy, while creating opportunities for state overreach. That might provoke outrage and even bring the wider public closer to rebellion.

The goal of resistance for as long as it takes in 2024 now involves higher risk than it did only recently. Local alliance-building and recruitment of rebels ready to stay in the face of increased repression is vital to our success.

There is still great privilege and responsibility that comes from living in the United Kingdom, where most of us do not yet face batons and water cannons at protests and picket lines and where so much of the historical and colonial legacy of the crises we face were made and enshrined in our laws.

Let us prepare for the right moment, which we will decide together.

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Strategic Action Ingredients

1. Clear targets.
Polling continues to show that there is sympathy with our message, but not with public disruption. Let’s choose action targets that make immediate sense without explanation. Occasionally, protest may have unintended consequences of disruption to the public; we must prepare for such eventualities and take responsibility here.

2. Intelligence.
Fossil fuel companies have been effectively targeted by the infiltration of Annual General Meetings (AGMs), grabbing headlines with little resources. Actions against local ties to fossil fuels can be impactful, but need community-inviting designs that bring more groups together and extra sensitivity around employment.

3. Accountability.
Nonviolent direct action is a broad category. While many of us like nothing more than seeing TikTok videos of letting down SUV tyres, it is important that we keep Extinction Rebellion UK an inclusive space, so that people who have never taken action before can feel safe and considered to join. The movement remains committed to accountability - standing by actions of conscience.

4. Storytelling.
Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) will be very visible during the hot summer and the lead up to CoP28 in November; both are opportunities to bring more people into direct action.

Climate justice, global inequality, reparations and debt cancellation campaigns are even more central at this time and groups should be prepared to support local diaspora communities of the most affected regions.

Highlighting media corruption and political failure remains a story we want to tell.

5. Creativity.
‘Flatpack’ actions with messaging and templates that are easily shared and customised, eg. Dirty Water signs or origami boat letters can take off nationwide.

New XRUK messaging & design pack will be available on July 30th.

6. People’s Pickets
These were developed for The Big One to bring groups with separate campaigns together around common targets. Think of using this model to invite collaboration and defection from within corporations and in solidarity with trade union pickets. Remember, these have legal restraints on the numbers of unionists that can demonstrate at any one time. Standing shoulder to shoulder and building alliances is powerful for building people power.

7. Inclusivity.
Fascist behaviour and dog whistle narratives which scapegoat migrants, travellers, trans people and Black, Indigenous and communities of colour, need to be pushed back on. Human rights have traditionally been fought by those whose rights were being diminished. This means it’s not enough to not be racist. This is the time to be pro-actively anti-racist and learning from our fellow community members who are marginalised, criminalised and treated as easy targets.

8. Pride.
Each action you do as Extinction Rebellion sends a signal to others that we stand together. Visibility generates confidence in others to step up. While it is always right to be respectful of other groups’ wishes, it is of no use to the wider ecology of movements for XRUK to tone down its message, when it is recognition that attracts people to XRUK and that is valuable to other movements.

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What to do right now

1. Schedule a Planning Meeting
Build on the momentum of The Big One. The first ‘Local Big One’ on September 30th can be a key date to mobilise people for. What issues or targets do you share with other local organising groups? Support actions of allies, where there is agreement on purpose while also planning a local action - XR led, or co-created.

2. Share the Vision
Connect with new recruits and former rebels in your area. Consider inclusivity here. Not all rebels find attending meetings possible. Rebel ringing is a great way to connect and re-connect.

3. Plan your Community Engagement
To be really inclusive and reach out to new communities, take time to map grassroots community and faith groups, and connect with local chapters of national organisations in your area. Discover what the diverse communities in your area care about and connect with by asking questions about their values and aims; build bridges.

The Big One taught us that it can be hard for supportive groups to cocreate the first action, so keep making space for collaboration at the end of every month. Regularity creates familiarity and smoother planning. Be flexible. Hold open meetings and decide details together. Identify where communities are already in resistance and invite them to unite, once a month.

Unite to survive! This is our final countdown.

4. Reach Out for Support
You are not alone. If you or your local group feels daunted, think of twinning with nearby groups or working as a region or nation. There are plans to map what issues local groups are active on, so that rebels can collaborate across geographical boundaries. (Watch this space!)

5. Ask for a Regional Open Call
These are a great way for local groups to meet, discuss regional issues, plan and collaborate on actions where local capacity is low. If your region has open calls, you'll always be glad you attended. We are all learning together as we go.

6. Paint the Streets
Use posters, flyers and flags and targeted nonviolent direct actions to increase visibility or to draw attention to your first community day of action (possibly September 30th and the last Saturday of every month after that).

7. Think about Supporting Community Spaces
Remember, art is powerful! Putting on films like 'The Oil Machine' and food attracts your allies and allows time for spending time together. Why not check out potential topics with people who turn up what subjects interest them most, then plan a Community Assembly.

WHAT TO DO AT YOUR COMMUNITY DAY OF ACTION

1. Focus on Your Community
Find out what communities want and add their key dates or cyclical events to your calendar. Collaborate, adapt, don’t compete.

2. Think About Food. Make Every Element Accessible.
Creating access to free food under capitalism is a revolutionary act that is easy for people to engage with. It means that your event can go on longer and creates opportunities for inviting diverse communities.

Disability access training can maximise your reach and ensures we all adhere to our Principles and Values of including everyone and every part of everyone. Training is being rolled out in June for Action Design and Support, plus others. Ask about training for your local group and bring along allies and friends. Email: xr.inclusion@protonmail.com

3. Have a Plan and a Programme
Give a platform to local voices and artists. Get artists involved early to help with planning and to involve their communities. Consider speaking to your Talks and Trainings crew, via their Mattermost Reception channel about adapted street speeches and trainings for audiences other than XR groups.

Programming support is coming.

4. Build Lasting Local Alliances

5. Run a Community Assembly
Plan and organise your next community action together. Speak to your regional Gardener, if you have one, about support you might expect. Alternatively, email your questions to: communityassemblies@extinctionrebellion.uk

6. Make Change and Demand Change
Take action that highlights the need for change.

7. Invite lLocal Media Contacts. Maximise Social Media.
The new UK Media & Messaging team is also shifting focus to offer support to local groups, amplifying amazing actions and activities across the country. UK media campaigns designed to resonate locally and globally and help mobilise.

8. Plan Fundraising. Consider Next Month’s Costs. Become More Resilient.
There will be specific local fundraising support coming soon. Meantime, signups to the XRUK Action Network via the XRUK website are vital to keep our movement moving.

9. Sign People Up
Keep inviting new people in with ways to be involved that suit someone willing to give days each week, as well as a student who can offer hours or a mother or carer who can only spare minutes.

Remember, there is no movement without admin and the people behind the scenes. Remote roles are as important as support work locally.

10. Stay Connected. Encourage Self-Organising.
Follow up with the communities and groups you have collaborated with regularly. Tell everyone about plans for the end of the next month. Welcome their ideas to transform their communities; we are all needed. Demonstrate that they are supported. Make a friend. Have an idea. Design a thing. Do it.

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Resources and Contacts

Feedback welcomed.

You can always contact the Actions Circle at xr-action@protonmail.com

Act Now.

Prepare to rise up together for citizen-led change in 2024.

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Bonus Resources and Contacts

Digital Rebellion
Action Support
Creative Circle
Campaigns
Alliance Building
Communications
XRUK Strategy 2023/24

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Open Call - XRUK Actions Strategy 2023/4

Watch the Recording
Follow this link to view the recording on YouTube.

View the Slides
Click here to see the presentation from the Open Call.


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