Extinction Rebellion protestors have been banned from London

In the first 8 days of direct action, 1400 environmentalists were arrested in the UK capital

As of 7 October, environmentalist activist group Extinction Rebellion has been taking part in a  two week international rebellion”  in a bid to provoke politicians into taking action against climate change. An ambitious project,  the group set themselves the aim of occupying 12 key sites in the UK capital and launching similar demonstrations in 23 other cities across the world. It’s been a tough beginning to their work, with 1400 arrests in the first 8 days of their London campaign, not to mention getting called “crusties” by UK PM Boris Johnson. The group may well have thought that the worst was behind them as they swung into the second and final week of planned protests. Such hopes, however, will have been short-lived.

Coming as a a blow to those “liberal values” that Britain supposedly had at one time or another, the group has been slapped with a Section 14 order. In brief, this means that the protests in London have officially been banned, and only time will tell how XR chooses to retaliate. In the meantime, the group has announced that they will disrupt London tube services from 17 to 21 October, with service delays as an inevitable consequence.

The official statement on their website regarding these recent developments reads: “The Climate and Ecological Emergency isn’t going away and we remain resolute in facing it. We urge the Government and the authorities to join us in doing the same. We cannot do it alone. This is bigger than all of us. To rebels, this is a moment to pause and remember why we are here.”

Beginning at 10pm on 14 October, London police began clearing camps which had been set up by XR activists and on 15 October instigated a similar process at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.  Also on 15 October, Dr Gail Bradbrook was arrested after gluing herself to the Department for Transport to advocate that the UK adopt a zero carbon transport system.

Individuals have spoken out against the Section 14 order on social media, including Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, who took to Twitter to write: “This ban is completely contrary to Britain’s long-held traditions of policing by consent, freedom of speech, and the right to protest.” Her words were seconded by Labour MP Clive Lewis, who wrote: “The action by police overnight is a huge overreach of statutory power – we must protect our right to protest with everything we have. Huge solidarity with the rebels for life.”

Words
Megan Wallace
Cover image
@extinctionrebellion via Instagram