How they organize around that and make sure the action can continue sustainably; how we support each other when we face repression were top concerns in our conversations.
Various meetings on struggle and solidarity with the most affected peoples and areas of the northern hemisphere (MAPA) were also held. MAPA activists from Africa and Latin America met on the struggles in their territories, links to European fossil companies, and discussed how to break through Eurocentrism in the environmental movement.
type
Finally, there is the anxieties that arise on a regular basis about the relationship between the environmental justice movement and the wider world. Many see the need to connect the current fights over inflation and the cost of living with the fights in the workplace.
Of course, even with such a large-scale 7-day training camp, these discussions cannot be “resolved”. However, the space to discuss, learn from each other’s experiments, etc. ensures that everyone leaves camp with ideas, learnings and excitement for action.
Looking back at the enormous efforts of European environmentalists, the UK environmental movement can draw some insights.
Firstly, there is a clear lack of such spaces in the UK, preventing us from learning from each other.Although there is a camp Scotlandgiven the relative size of our environmental movement, there is little room for transgroups.
At the Ende Gelände camp, “last generation” activists brushed shoulders with youth strikers, left-wing groups and international solidarity activists. The variety of groups present ensured a rich conference, regardless of their ability to agree.
internationalism
Despite strong and obvious divisions, so many activists gathered in a space where they could debate tactics in front of each other.
While they may not agree, in the long run such exchanges may have the effect of cooling heads among groups and providing greater solidarity in the face of situations such as repression. Such a conversation is unthinkable in the current British environmental movement.
Finally, I was struck by the relatively small number of UK activists at this week’s events. In terms of the relative size of our environmental movement, a dozen activists from the UK illustrate our movement’s lack of internationalism.
If we continue to hide in our islands, we will lose the opportunity to learn from our colleagues on the African continent. Ecological damage knows no borders, and neither should we.
the author
Alex James is a freelance journalist.
