Please watch the video for the full overview of my case, of the climate change picture and the crucial tactics that Extinction Rebellion are employing to ensure our leaders take the actions that are necessary.
I am a 33year old woman living in Bristol. I was arrested in Bristol with Extinction Rebellion in London in April as part of the Spring Uprising . I am raising money to be able to continue my activism in order to secure a safe planet for us to live on. It will be a long and costly process for us activists to get our leaders to meet the demands that are necessary. We can't do alone and we cant do it without your support.
The next Extinction Rebellion uprising starts October 7th in London. I will be joining for the first week to protest. In the second week I will be taking place in a hunger strike with hundreds of people outside of parliament.
Why Im doing what Im doing
We are facing an unprecedented global emergency. Life on Earth is in crisis: scientists agree we have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown, and we are in the midst of a mass extinction of our own making.
We have had warning from science for 40years on climate change. We had protests for 30years on the matter. The amount of letters sent, petitions signed, protests attended across the globe, are huge in numbers. And yet, we see woefully inadequate action by our governments. Currently international emissions agreements would take us to 3degrees+ (despite governments agreeing that we should aim for 1.5-2 degrees) and our current trajectory, where we still emit more carbon every year, takes us to 4degrees+ of warning.
Our governments primary responsibility is to protect their people, us. However, they are currently failing this to the extent that we are heading towards global climate breakdown, soaring temperatures, food systems breakdown, the increase of extreme and highly dangerous weather and societal collapse on a global level. All within the next 80years (by 2100).
Our window for action is almost closed. UN leaders are now saying that we need radical action by 2020. Yet, climate change is barely of concern in real terms for most our leaders, including Boris Johnson.
My arrest
I was arrested for defying the Public Order issued by the police that ordered the protest to move on to another site. I am pleading not guilty out of necessity, due to the threat to life. If Extinction Rebellion complied with the Public Order, maybe we would not have got the media attention that we did, and maybe a climate emergency might not have been declared. In the future, if Extinction Rebellion comply with the police the next time, maybe their other demands are not met and we continue on the path to runaway climate change. In non-compliance, we are being both radical and highly cautious - highly cautious in terms of we will ensure we carry out as much action as possible over a long a period as possible to that ensure adequate attention is given to the movement and to the cause, to trigger the political wakeup and political action needed to give us the best changes of keeping our planet safe and habitable. If we dont, the risk to all life on Earth is huge.
Costs
My court case is on 26th November. I have recently left my job and am in the process of changing career (good timing financially!). I am self-representing to keep the costs down.
My court case will be in the region of £800. I will be fined on top of that, which I expect to be £400. I cannot fundraise for the fine though, as this meant to be a punishment, and so I must pay this myself.
My activism with Extinction Rebellion will continue. The next uprising begins 7th October in London. We intend to block down key sites in London for as long as is needed. The police also might arrest me again if they choose to try to move us before our critical demands for the government are met. In the case this happens, I might need financial support again.
Our duty, your call
It is our duty as citizens and as adults to act. In the West we live in one of the first generations were we have freedom - we have our needs met, we have freedom of information, freedom of oppression by the police and freedom of how to spend our time, compared to many other people in the world and compared to most generations that came before us. If not me and you, then you?
As our governments have already failed us, if we as citizens do not action quick enough, at the right level, with the right numbers of people, we are heading to very dark times.
Research shows that we only need 3.5% of a population for a movement to be successful in meeting its aims. That is 2million people in the UK. Their involvements can be protesting to giving background logistical support, eg helping with admin or social media. We live in immense times. We do not have time to be complacent and wait for someone else to do. It is time to be the powerful people we are, and honour all those that came before us and fought for us to have a safe world to live in. It is now our time to fight for all those who come after us to have a safe world to live in as well.
Thank you xx
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