Sustained mass civil disobedience gets underway as rebels call for governments worldwide to tell the truth and act now on the accelerating climate and ecological crisis
- A wave of global civil disobedience is set to take place starting this month, as Extinction Rebellion (XR) once again takes to the streets in its biggest wave of coordinated worldwide action since the historic protests of October 2019.
- From Poland to Ecuador, Australia to Austria, XR rebels will come together in creative, colourful, determined yet peaceful protests to disrupt business as usual and call for immediate truth telling and action by their governments to address climate change and biodiversity loss.
For a calendar of up to date rebellions taking place around the world, see below.
XR Sweden kicked off the actions on August 27 with a 3 day rebellion. XR UK then picks up the baton on September 1 with a blockade of the British parliament as politicians return for their first sitting after the summer. UK Rebels will carry out actions to put increasing pressure on MPs to back the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill and agree to create a National Citizens’ Assembly that empowers people to make fair and democratic decisions on how to respond to the climate emergency.
Actions then roll on throughout September and October across Europe, the US, South America, Australia and beyond. Rebels will come together in their home countries to take a stand against unacceptable government inaction in the face of a rapidly closing window to avert catastrophic climate change and ecological and social collapse. It is estimated that some 250,000 people in more than 1,000 groups across 75 nations are a part of Extinction Rebellion today.
Clare Farrell, co-founder of XR, called on people everywhere to join the rebellion and “rise in peace to fight the greatest crime against humanity”, as time is of the essence.
“We’ve been warned by the scientific community and experts of many kinds that humanity faces devastating impacts from a heating world and rapidly accelerating extinction rates. Rebels around the world will once again take to the streets this September because the reality is that these impacts are already here,” Farrell says.
The September Rebellion will be the first coordinated international protest for the group since October 2019, when rebels worldwide staged disruptive actions that drew unprecedented attention to the threat of climate change and ecological collapse.
The wave of actions will be carried out in a COVID-safe way, with small groups of disruptive rebels coming together at a safe distance. The actions will be respectful of both the current health crisis and of the fact that urgent action remains more necessary than ever if the world is to avert an even greater health, social and economic catastrophe.
In 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that action must be taken to keep the rise in global temperatures below 1.5C above pre-industrial levels if substantial negative impacts to human communities, ecosystems and economies are to be avoided.
The global rebellion comes as events continue to make it clear that the climate and ecological crisis is not only an immensely troubling future problem but a very real present one - and as governments worldwide pour trillions into COVID-19 recovery plans.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we have an opportunity to change systems for the better but the old guard is fighting for business-as-usual. We encourage everyone who can to get involved so we can tell those in power to stop vandalising our only home and instead work today to build an economy that puts our health and wellbeing first. Join the rebellion - there’s no time to waste,” Farrell says.
Some of the creative ways that people will be taking action during the September Rebellion include:
- A Rebellion Festival Town in Poland on September 5th: Poland’s Rebels will construct a space where everyone can work together for the future in a world defined by respect, openness and a fight for the climate. “The goal is to put pressure on the Polish authorities to finally stop ignoring our security, our future and our life on this planet,” the group says. This will be followed by workshops, lectures and concerts, and most importantly - mass civil disobedience in which the capital will be blocked.
- From rallies to (COVID-safe) dance parties in New York City: Rebels are promising that much of their activity over three weeks in September will remain a surprise but participants should expect fun and feisty actions and peaceful fury in equal measure.
- A massive blockade of the Zuidas financial district in The Netherlands on September 18th and 21st: Rebels will hit the streets to make it clear that they will not accept big business blocking action to limit climate change.
To take part, learn more about Extinction Rebellion, or join an XR group in your home country, visit rebellion.global or see the list of international actions here:
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About Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion is a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
Our movement is made up of people from all walks of life, contributing in different ways with the time and energy they can spare. Chances are, we have a local branch very close to you, and we would love to hear from you.