Retired vicar The Reverend Mark Coleman has been jailed for five weeks for sitting on the road at an ‘Insulate Britain’ protest. Now out of prison, he writes about his experiences and the intergenerational solidarity of his fellow climate activists.
This is the article of the sixth issue of “New Economic Journal”.you can Find the full issue here.
The view from my cell window was grim. Mainly high walls and barbed wire. But I feel good and at peace.
When I recall the trial, I am grateful for the people around me. I think of my co-defendants, young and old, and their courage in resisting the government’s brutal plans for fossil fuel expansion. I think back to October 2019 when I was arrested for sitting on a London road with Extinction Rebellion. Inspired by this new group of people, I helped start a local group in Rochdale. We make ourselves newsworthy, but in small numbers. In 2021, I’m getting more and more frustrated: the government is not taking action, and public interest is waning.when i heard isolate britain, I am excited. The prospect of sitting on the highway is scary, but at this juncture, the strategy feels right. I was sitting in Bishopsgate, City of London, with about 30 other people on 25th October following several arrests on the M25. My previous actions resulted in a charge of willful obstruction of the highway, and this one resulted in a more serious public nuisance charge.
We were tried in groups of four, ranging in age from 28 to 73. We take care of each other. It was difficult because the judge ruled that we couldn’t talk in front of a jury about why we chose to break the law. Disobedience to a judge may constitute a serious contempt of court punishable by immediate imprisonment. We try to defend ourselves.imagine my joy when i speak freely my sentencing in a few weeks. It was very moving to hear my co-accused speak. This group is a microcosm of the larger intergenerational community that is important to me.
Something dire and urgent beyond ordinary issues and politics brought us together. Two years ago, in 2021, the former chief scientific adviser to the UK government, Professor Sir David King said, “What we do in the next three or four years will determine the future of humanity. “However, in full knowledge of the science, the UK government is launching new oil and gas projects against advice. These will kill billions of people. Generational differences don’t matter when faced with such evil.
“When confronted with this awareness, we may slide into despair or denial. It is much healthier to choose resistance. “
Reflection may be a feature of old age.How sobering, says a 52-year-old friend 70% of species During the last 50 years of her life, it became extinct. Another said, “We intentionally double our CO2 emissions. No generation in history has done more damage… Worse, ours has a vice-like grip on power…” When confronted with this awareness, we may descend into despair or denial. Choice Resistance is much healthier.
Before I started civil resistance, I saw a placard that said ““You will die of old age, we will die of climate change”. A few weeks later, a young woman told me she had decided not to have children because of the climate crisis. It’s heartbreaking. But action can counteract desperation – like the GP from Cheshire who told me she and her husband took to the streets to protest because their son made them read about climate science.
It’s not good to be alone in such an unimaginable and frightening situation. A retired grandma told me, “I’ve never felt so accepted [in Just Stop Oil]. What an uplifting day to hand out flyers with someone in their 40s. Caring for each other helps us reach our potential. People can help in many ways, from recruiting to media to management. In our individualistic society, many of us are distracted by what George Monbiot Already had a wonderful call “Micro-consumerist gibberish. “In our resistance communities, there are a variety of ways we can come together to focus on nonviolent action.
Old age brings opportunities.a friend from Christian Climate Action Tell me that now that she has reached the point where the kids are out of the house and menopause is behind her, she can start a new phase of her life. For me, a Parkinson’s diagnosis pushed me from holding placards to civil resistance, beyond what I was comfortable with, to doing what needed to be done.
It is good to stand with young people in nonviolent resistance in the face of the horrific reality of what this administration has done. Older people like me are waking up and hearing young people being inspired to take action. It feels good to be able to take this step. My friend Ruth was right: “We have broken their world. Now we know the least we can do is get off the couch, open the toolbox, and see what we can do to fix it. ”
The Reverend Mark Coleman is a retired priest living in Rochdale.
Image: Eva Bee
