Extinction Rebellion (XR) has warned ministers it will strengthen its campaign in “new and creative ways” if they do not agree to two demands ahead of four days of major climate protests in central London.
Climate protest group XR; Global Justice Now, a democratic social justice group; Don’t Pay UK, a grassroots movement against rising energy bills; PCS union calls on government to “end all new fossil fuel project permits, approvals and funding “.
They also want ministers “to form an emergency citizens’ assembly to lead the way in fair, long-term solutions to the most pressing problems of our time”.
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“Starting today, we will notify the government,” XR’s Marijn van de Geer told a news conference on Tuesday.
“They have seven days to agree to negotiate around these two demands, or we will strengthen our campaign in innovative ways in an effort to build a coalition of unprecedented size.”
She said the government had until 5pm on Monday, April 24, to “agree to negotiate the two collective demands we have presented to them today”.
Ms van de Geer added: “If we don’t get a response, at 10am on Tuesday 25 April, Extinction Rebellion will build an unprecedented coalition, strengthening along three pathways in the coming weeks and months Our campaigns — picketing to stand in solidarity with strikers, organizing locally, disobedience.”
The ultimatum comes ahead of a planned four-day operation known as “Operation Grand”, which will see groups and movement unions gather in Wisconsin from Friday, April 21 to Monday, April 24. Westminster and outside the Houses of Parliament.
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More than 200 organizations are backing the initiative, including Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the PCS Alliance, XR said.
Ms van de Geer said: “We are stronger than ever, with trade unions, NGOs, ethical companies and a slew of environmental groups all united in calling for political change and action to protect all life on Earth.”
She said the “big event” would “be a period of networking, music and dancing, but also a four-day meeting of more than 200 groups with millions of members across the country and around the world to decide what to do next.” Radical actions look like they do.”
She added: “So in these four days, if the government refuses this important opportunity to participate in our demands, everyone will think about what will happen next, because we can all agree that every living person and non-human time today has In passing, none of us should and will sit still when time runs out.”
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Ms van de Geer said more than 28,000 people had signed up for the four-day protest, but XR believed the turnout could have been higher.
“So we just want to really emphasize that this massive four-day event is not intended to disrupt public order,” she added. “It’s really about meeting up, getting together, getting to know each other and counseling.
“We will use the form of deliberative democracy, consult with each other, exchange ideas, learn from each other, and especially listen. So there will be no intention to disturb the public during these four days.
“Of course, 30,000 people in the Westminster area could cause some logistical disruption, and of course there’s also the London Marathon, so it’s going to be a busy weekend in central London.”
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Lucas Cumiskey and Maddy Burgess are PA reporters.
