Welcome to Newsletter XTRA, where everything we couldn’t fit into the main Global Newsletter has its moment to shine. This month we cover actions in New Zealand, Nigeria, Serbia, UK, Panama, Germany, India and more…
10 - 19 OCT | Wellington, New Zealand: New group Restore Passenger Rail launched a campaign of motorway blockades across the capital. Activists are demanding the government expand national rail coverage to what it was a decade ago. Dozens were arrested and charged by police across four separate blockades.
13 OCT | Washington DC, USA: Rebels disrupt the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank as part of a new wave of Debt For Climate (D4C) actions in the run-up to COP27. Activists blocked the entrance to the summit and chanted “Cancel the debt!” as police dragged them away. The World Bank has invested billions into fossil fuels since the Paris Agreement, and the IMF has forced Global South nations into a debt trap that has hamstrung their efforts to decarbonise.
3 NOV | Kaduna, Nigeria: XR Kaduna held a roundtable discussion with media and civil society organisations focused on the impacts of the changing climate, evident in the recent widespread flooding of the country.
15 OCT | Belgrade, Serbia: Rebels join the international D4C coalition and stage a die-in in front of the IMF office in Belgrade.
26 OCT | Holland: A talk show invited a climate activist on to discuss "proper ways to protest" - and then the activist GLUED HIMSELF TO THE TABLE!
14 - 16 OCT | London, UK: A ‘Weekend of Resistance’ featured a protest at Downing Street (home of the British Prime Minister), an arts festival beside the River Thames, and a march to Parliament. A sapling from an ancient oak tree that was the meeting point for the Kett’s Rebellion came along for the ride.
22 OCT | Panama City, Panama: YA ES YA, aka Scientist Rebellion Panama, together with other activist groups, protest at the German Embassy demanding climate action and debt relief for the Global South.
15 OCT | The Hague, Netherlands: 50 rebels blockade a major motorway, demanding the €17.5 billion in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry ends. Photo: Jaap van den Berg
17 OCT | Huelva, Spain: 100 activists from the Rebellion for Climate coalition blockaded the headquarters of Enegás, the main operator of Spain’s gas network. Photo: Rafa del Barrio
16 OCT | Berlin, Germany: Scientist Rebellion interrupts the UN World Health Summit. 30 scientists were detained by police. The protest was the first of a wave of Scientist Rebellion actions across Germany, coordinated with both D4C and Last Generation activists, that lasted 10 days and saw scientists imprisoned.
17/18 OCT | Berlin, Germany: Dozens of D4C activists occupied the Finance Ministry after its minister broke his promise to champion Global South debt cancellation at the IMF & World Bank meeting in Washington. The next day, 50 scientists spilt fake blood down the entrance of the German Transport Ministry.
25 OCT | Munich, Germany: 28 members of D4C and Scientist Rebellion blockade the German headquarters of BlackRock. The giant firm invests in fossil fuel extraction in the Global South, and holds a great share of its debt.
21 OCT | Paris, France: A dozen rebels glue themselves to high-performance cars at the Paris Motor Show. They denounced a polluting industry which greenwashes itself with electric vehicles while continuing to promote the individual car as the transport of the future.
18 OCT | Cape Town, South Africa: Rebels call on African leaders to reject the oil and gas industry’s claim that they bring jobs and energy security to Africa.
22 OCT | Bologna, Italy: Rebels join workers’ unions to march through the city. 30,000 activists came together to demand both climate and social justice.
15 OCT | London, UK: Doctors for XR & Scientists for XR demand their government invest in insulating homes, both to save lives and protect the planet. Families shouldn’t have to choose between heating and eating, they said.
17 OCT | Nantes, France: Rebels have been extinguishing illuminated advertising panels as part of a nationwide "Ce n’est pas Versailles ici” action. The name refers to the French parental refrain: "Turn off the lights when you leave the room, we're not in Versailles here!"
23 OCT | Brussels, Belgium: Led by indigenous people from the Amazon, 30,000 people joined a Climate Coalition through central Brussels.
12 OCT | Vienna, Austria: Rebels block traffic in central Vienna and will continue to do so until the government acts. Half of the country’s emissions come from traffic.
29 OCT | Bern, Switzerland: Six activists from Renovate Switzerland block a major bridge in the Swiss capital, the tenth blockade of the month. The group want the Federal Council to decree a general mobilisation for thermal renovation.
14 OCT | Hasdeo Forest, India: A young environmental activist protests at the Adani Coal Mining site at Hasdeo Forest, Chhattisgarh. The region is a rich biodiversity hotspot covering 170,000 hectares of forest land with over 450 species of plants and animals. More than 20,000 indigenous Adivasi people also live there.
