Vigils were held across the US in honour of Wynn Bruce, a Buddhist climate activist who died after setting himself on fire outside the Supreme Court on Earth Day.
Welcome to Newsletter Xtra, where wonderful rebel actions we couldn’t fit into the main Global Newsletter have their say. This month we bring you reports from Australia, Denmark, Finland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Rwanda, Switzerland, Ukraine, and more…
11 April | Makassar, Indonesia Thousands marched through the city against the G20 (Indonesia holds presidency this year). Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
6-7 May | Copenhagen, Denmark To start their Vendepunktet (Turning Point) rebellion, rebel crowds blocked the bridges to Slotsholmen, the island in Copenhagen where most government buildings are located. Over a hundred people were arrested, some to chants of You are not alone! Expect more in the next issue.
22 April | Lviv, Ukraine A coalition of activists including rebels call for an immediate embargo on Russian oil and gas and a just transition away from bloody fossil fuels.
4 May | Newcastle, Australia Scientists have glued themselves to the HQ of oil company Santos in Adelaide. They're also glued to Flinders Street, blocking traffic in front of the building. They're demanding an immediate halt to all new oil and gas exploration, mining and production. It's time to listen to the experts!
22 April | Cape Town, South Africa Rebels spoke to the CEO of Media 24 as part of their ‘Media Tell The Truth!’ campaign. The country was recently devastated by heavy rainfall and floods, but the media still largely ignores the climate crisis.
4 May | London, UK Money Rebellion activists invaded the Annual General Meeting of Standard Chartered, the third worst UK-based bank for fossil fuel funding. Since 2016 it has increased funding for fracked oil and gas, offshore oil and gas, liquid natural gas, and coal. In an earlier action at HSBC’s Annual General Meeting, Money Rebellion sang a revised version of Abba’s famous song, “Money, money, money! It’s so scummy, in HSBC’s world”, much to the bank chairman’s annoyance.
23 April | London, UK Hundreds of fossil fuel protesters took over the British Museum with a mass performance against its sponsorship by British oil giant BP. They smuggled in a giant Drop BP logo past security and didn't leave at closing time. Photo: Art Not Oil Coalition.
4 May | Bunbury, Australia ‘Sybils’ outside the constituency office of Nola Marino, a minister in the Australian government. Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece, and in this case they say: Vote for the Climate, NOT for Nola! Australia goes to the polls on 21 May.
5 May | Chhattisgarh, India One of many protests against the felling of trees in the Hasdeo Aranya forest after the state government approved the second phase of the Parsa East and Kete Basen coal mines, projects operated by the Adani Group.
30 April | Muhanga, Rwanda Members of XR Green World Youth conclude a series of street actions which took place in April.
26 April | Aberdeen, Scotland Scottish rebels staged an anti-greenwash performance outside the North Sea Transition Authority, which continues to issue new licences for oil and gas development, and then set-up a pink table outside a trade union conference to discuss a just transition for oil workers.
7 May | Helsinki, Finland Rebels from Elakopina (XR Finland) demonstrate against flying at Helsinki airport.
2 May | Tel Aviv, Israel Israeli rebels blocked the entrance of the Ministry of Finance and poured ‘oil’ onto dirty money in protest at the ministry’s ‘castration’ of the country’s Climate Law.
19 April | Switzerland Renovate Switzerland is a new campaign of civil resistance asking the government to renovate buildings across the country. Activists blocked major highways four times over April. Photos: Renovate Switzerland.
1 May | Southland, New Zealand Thirty activists are occupying the Tākitimu coal mine in Southland, owned by Bathurst Resources. The company is trying to expand its operations in the middle of a climate emergency.
22 April | Washington DC, USA XR DC blockaded the entrance to city hall with a huge banner, kicking off a campaign to stop new fossil fuel infrastructure in the capital.
24 April | Newcastle, Australia Rebels blockaded Newcastle Coal Port (the world’s largest) for 7 hours. They demanded an end to fossil fuels and a just transition for local coal workers.
6 May | Kampala, Uganda Students at the International School of Uganda School participate in the Fridays for Future MAPA (Most Affected People and Areas) strike for climate.
28 April | Munich, Germany Rebels call on insurance company Munich Re to stop insuring oil and gas projects.
16-17 April | Buenos Aires, Argentina Rebels painted a mural in the heart of the city to spread the message that the solution to the climate crisis is: “Do not panic, organise!”
