No more blockades of through roads, no fake blood at the British Treasury, no more occupations of the head offices of banks like Barclays or insurance companies like Lloyd’s. WE QUIT, we quit, the climate activists of Extinction Rebellion in the United Kingdom write in large letters on their website. It seems that the British branch of XR does not want to carry out any disruptive actions for the time being.
It would be a striking change in strategy. Because since its establishment in 2018 civil disobedience was the trademark of Extinction Rebellion – also known as XR. With their disruptive actions, the organization has caused a landslide within the climate movement. “But no matter how loud the alarm bells were rung, little changed,” it says in the message on the website. Greenhouse gas emissions are still rising and “the planet is dying” at an ever-increasing rate.
1 Why this strategic turn now?
Extinction Rebellion also considers it a “controversial” decision. Because as an organization it believes in the power of disruptive actions. At the same time, the climate activists call it necessary to change tactics from time to time. In short, it can be radical to be a little less radical.
The focus is therefore shifted for ‘this year’. The XR activists want to work on the growth of their organization and on creating a broader base: “We prefer participation to arrests and good relationships to roadblocks.” They hope to achieve more with accessible actions and they want to become a force that no one can ignore.
Jelle de Graaf, involved in the Dutch branch of Extinction Rebellion, points to the specific British situation in a telephone response. The organization Just Stop Oil has somewhat taken over the momentum of XR after the corona crisis. Last year, Just Stop Oil mainly became known for ‘climate-sticking’ campaigns in museums, where demonstrators glued themselves to paintings.
2 Is the pursuit of a broader basis the only reason for this turnaround?
Probably not. The message on the website explicitly refers to government attempts to criminalize those who “speak up and take action”. In May last year, the British government announced a law that would make the paralysis of important parts of the national infrastructure punishable by a year in prison. If the law, which has been tightened and awaits consideration in the House of Lords, is passed, it will be a criminal offense to cling to a building or a railway line. Even those who, so to speak, are on their way to a demonstration with a tube of glue, risk a prison sentence of up to six months.
De Graaf, who glued himself to the discussion table in Beau van Erven Dorens’ TV program last year, does not expect such a law to scare everyone off. “Brave activists have shown that they are willing to accept severe punishment in their fight to preserve life on Earth,” he says. “Such a law could achieve the opposite of what is intended. The more vigorously the government reacts, the greater the counterforce it evokes.”
3 What will Extinction Rebellion in the UK do next?
For now, the focus is on ‘The Big One’. On April 21, Extinction Rebellion wants to mobilize 100,000 people for a demonstration at the British Parliament. Following the 2019 international climate strikes, the House of Commons declared a ‘climate emergency’. After that, according to Extinction Rebellion, it went quiet. There were hardly any new policies. By taking to the streets en masse this spring, the organization hopes to get the British government moving.
4 Does this put an end to XR’s disruptive climate actions in the UK?
That’s just the question. Extinction Rebellion has no hierarchical structure. It is a decentralized movement with no official leadership, and no opportunity to become a member.
De Graaf says that a British friend of his, who is involved in a local XR chapter, was not even aware of the decision. Such a local group may well make a different assessment in the near future. In addition, in the message on the website, despite the headline ‘We quit‘, only mentions ‘temporarily distancing itself from public disturbance as a primary tactic’. That doesn’t sound very firm.
5 Does this decision have consequences for the Dutch branch of XR?
No, says De Graaf. XR in the Netherlands knows how to appeal to large groups, according to him. “In the Netherlands you even see celebrities who speak out for our objectives,” he says. “You also notice it in the many registrations for action training and for the newsletter.”
De Graaf also points to the interest in the action at Schiphol, where demonstrators chained themselves to private planes last year, and in the blockades of the A12, which are attracting more and more participants.
According to De Graaf, XR in the Netherlands is working on a new strategy with longer-term promotions in which the pressure is increasingly increased.
“We are focusing on a number of tipping points,” he explains. “Fossil subsidies must come to an end, banks such as Rabo and ING must change their policies and the Netherlands must stop new projects for the extraction of fossil fuels. That will not happen, while according to the International Energy Agency this is necessary to keep warming below one and a half degrees.”
On March 11, in the week before the provincial elections, Extinction Rebellion wants to block the Afsluitdijk. “We’re going by bike, it couldn’t be more Dutch,” De Graaf announces. “We opt for the Afsluitdijk – a place that shows the vulnerability of the Netherlands very well.”
Read also this interview with two activists from XR
A version of this article also appeared in the January 3, 2023 newspaper