AFP
Extinction Rebellion activists on a bridge in Paris on Monday, October 7, 2019.
ECOLOGY – It’s time for New Year’s resolutions for activists too. Environmental group Extinction Rebellion announced on Sunday 1 January that it would suspend the spectacular UK lockdown they had publicized, preferring to mobilize a large demonstration against government inaction in April.
Founded in the UK in 2018 and now active in several countries, this network of activists uses civil disobedience to denounce what it calls government inaction on climate change. In France, activists have occupied Paris thoroughfares, blocked bridges over the Seine or disrupted TOTAL’s general meeting.
“This year we are prioritizing attendance over arrests and public outreach over roadblocks,” Extinction Rebellion UK said in a statement and tweet. UK activists announce they have taken the “controversial decision to temporarily move away from disrupting public space as a key tactic” for 2023.
WE STOP! Our #NewYearsResolution is to stop our public disruption tactics. Instead we are calling on everyone to help… https://t.co/gXYz4TO5Uk
— Extinction Rebellion UK 🌍 (@XRebellionUK)
The movement recognizes “the power of riots to sound the alarm,” but says there is a “need” to move forward and, above all, want to “disrupt the abuse of power” by pressuring the political class to stop using Put an end to fossil fuels.
Lockdowns will start again in France
However, this change of strategy does not affect France. Contacted by Le HuffPost, the French branch of the movement confirms that this statement “affects Extinction Rebellion UK and in no way Extinction Rebellion France”.
“This is a strategic decision that responds to a local reality different from ours. We respect it and hope it will be crowned with a big rally in the UK Parliament,” the activists add, referring to a demonstration planned for April 21 in London that is expected to bring together 100,000 people.
In France, as elsewhere, Extinction Rebellion’s actions have often been controversial, with the group enraging part of opinion by disrupting public spaces. Many activists were arrested during these actions.
At the same time, Extinction Rebellion UK was overtaken by the emergence of even more radical groups such as Just Stop Oil or Insulate Britain, which blocked London’s ring road or doused Van Gogh’s masterpiece “Sunflowers” in soup at the National Gallery in October in London.
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