London Action, from April 15th
Updated: Mar 27, 2019
XR ACTION April 15th
Come to London. Everyone needs to be in one place at one time to have any real impact. Thousands are needed
London is where economic and political power is centred as well as the worlds media.
In order to create change there must be disruption to the economy.
Some people have to be willing to break the law.
The Plan
This is a week long action. Come with a tent and sleeping bag. Shaftesbury have committed to Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 and are taking it from there.
Assemble on Monday 15th 11.00am Parliament Square. From there different regions will be allocated different roads to block off (we would be South West).
Form an affinity group.
Scotland contingents arrive on Thursday
XR Youth are inherently anarchic and spontaneously doing something!
ENCOURAGE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO TAKE PART.
What We’ll Create at Each Site
We’re currently planning and creating:
Amazing visual art installations for each site, helping to Hold the Vision and generating curiosity – ‘you’ve got to go and see…
Music, theatre and other performances – starting with Big Public Performances at 6pm 15th April– not to be missed!
Public Assemblies– modelling the Direct, Deliberative Democracies of Citizen’s Assemblies – a chance for us all to learn, share, deliberate…
Tours and Actions spinning off from each site – bringing the Rebellion to other parts of London, guiding people to all our sites and to other key sites for learning and disruption.
Themes – each Site will have a theme Holding the Vision of the 3 Demands and the world we’re creating.
Some Days will also be themed – linking with particular partners, allies and movements. E.g. food on World Peasants Day e.g. fossil fuel free day when friends and allies from diverse movements will join us.
Sites will have:
Learning Spaces - lots of interactive workshops, teach-outs, and inspirational speakers.
Wellbeing Area– where we can support ourselves emotionally and physically.
Kids’ Space- not a crèche - kids under 12 must be supervised.
Activities Area: lots of games and activities - fun for all the family!.
Kitchens serving freshly prepared food
Toilets and Washing facilities
Non-Violent Direct Action
We are a nonviolent movementinsist on nonviolence – the showing of respect to each other whatever our background and to the public and police. We are here to non-violently pressure the government to undertake action to protect the public and will not be distracted from this clear and singular aim.
Affinity Groups
An Affinity Group is a support group for doing actions. If you are not a member of an affinity group, please join a non-violent direct action (NVDA) training (information on the Extinction Rebellion Facebook Events page) where you can form or join one.
Before April 15th, affinity groups across regions of the UK will be assigned responsibility to block different areas of the city centre. They will make decisions on how best to do this themselves. They can decide to swarm – block streets until arrest looks possible and then move to a new location, or stay until they are arrested. Affinity groups will be asked which tactics they wish to adopt.
Police and Arrests
We will speak to the police to ensure that public safety is prioritised and to make best efforts to ensure any arrests are carried out in a civil and lawful way. XR will respond to such assurances by strongly request ensuring that police are treated with respect and everyone involved in the rebellion remains nonviolent in their actions and communications. Our opponent is the government not police officers.
If the authorities decide to move or arrest rebels we will sit peacefully on the ground – we will not assist or resist arrest. We will then set up camp again at a pre-planned alternative site. If we are arrested and detained then, once released, we will return to blocking the streets. We will call on the general public to join us in this escalation of mass participation civil disobedience.
Changes on the day
Decisions on when and where to move locations will be made by Extinction Rebellion Action and Logistics teams on the basis of views from the people taking part and a strategic assessment of how to achieve our aims. The organisation of the camps will be based upon the organisation of small groups. One person from each group will meet together in various decision-making spaces so there is participation in the site organisation.
Interested in going with the Shafts XR group - email planetshaftesbury@gmail.com and they'll get back to you.
(Thanks to Karen for putting together text for this piece.)