Extinction Rebellion

[cupid_stunt]

Remove 'locked-on' people > remove boat > one focal point disappears.

They are only on stage one ATM.

They are well into stage two, the boat's mast has been taken down, and it's about to be towed away.

* live on Sky News - reporter & cameraman being pushed back by the cops.

 

[weltweit]

Good on em, hope the message gets through.

I wasn't on the email telling me about it however, that's my excuse for not being there!

 

[cupid_stunt]

Farewell, boaty mcpinkyboatface, you'll be missed.

 

[editor]

 

[Gramsci]

Im guessing Waterloo Bridge is next. They have been telling them to move to Marble Arch for some time.

I'm going down tomorrow with more food.

 

[cupid_stunt]

View attachment 168325

I like the fact the one copper is looking all serious, but the one to the left is smiling away.

 

[tim]

.

I've just come back from the Oxford Circus and Marble Arch protests. Incredibly well organised. They even brought along their own toilets, stage and solar power arrays.

I thought I saw you walking under the Arch at Marble Arch, having a vague idea of what you look like. I may have been correct.

 

[T & P]

From the disruption angle, today seems to me an odd day to try to move along the protesters. It’s not a working day and while the place is clearly busy with tourists, London is largely empty of the kind of people who would want or need to drive a car into central London. So the actual disruption to car drivers and/or local businesses today will be the lowest it’s been all week.

From the plod’s POV surely it’d make more sense to let the protesters alone until Monday evening...

 

[FridgeMagnet]

From the disruption angle, today seems to me an odd day to try to move along the protesters. It’s not a working day and while the place is clearly busy with tourists, London is largely empty of the kind of people who would want or need to drive a car into central London. So the actual disruption to car drivers and/or local businesses today will be the lowest it’s been all week.

From the plod’s POV surely it’d make more sense to let the protesters alone until Monday evening...

I think it's mostly down to political pressure building up - the government and the right wing press (in which I include the bbc) have been banging on about getting rid of them increasingly.

Not that we have a political police force of course.

 

[cupid_stunt]

From the disruption angle, today seems to me an odd day to try to move along the protesters. It’s not a working day and while the place is clearly busy with tourists, London is largely empty of the kind of people who would want or need to drive a car into central London. So the actual disruption to car drivers and/or local businesses today will be the lowest it’s been all week.

From the plod’s POV surely it’d make more sense to let the protesters alone until Monday evening...

I guess they are trying to close down all the different protest locations, one-by-one, to have them all cleared by the end of the weekend. Not sure that plan will work, will be very interesting watching the cat & mouse games.

What I find funny, is it took until day 5 before they came up with a plan to remove the pink boat, spent most of today getting it ready to move, and now hundreds of people are sitting down in the road & blocking their planned route to remove it.

 

[tim]

From the disruption angle, today seems to me an odd day to try to move along the protesters. It’s not a working day and while the place is clearly busy with tourists, London is largely empty of the kind of people who would want or need to drive a car into central London. So the actual disruption to car drivers and/or local businesses today will be the lowest it’s been all week.

From the plod’s POV surely it’d make more sense to let the protesters alone until Monday evening...

Is it the return of the Summer or love it will it be our version of the Prague Spring?

I have visions of my last heroic minutes being broadcast live on Chinese television as I try and stop a British tank by waving a Waitrose Bag for Life at it.

 

[Riklet]

Ive left but very inspiring to see so many people there now, more than before even. Shame about the boat.. the music was so banging there on Wednesday.

As for the OB... pretty hilarious decision trying to clear Oxford Circus on a bank holiday and hottest day of the year so far. They must have money to burn.

 

[cupid_stunt]

The BBC News report just now made me laugh... the cops had finally freed the boat, turned it around, attached it to a truck to tow it away, thought they had a clear path & were ready to go.

But, protesters took to the back streets, and hundreds suddenly reappeared in their planned path & sat down.

It's like a real life version of whack a mole.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

The BBC News report just now made me laugh... the cops had finally freed the boat, turned it around, attached it to a truck to tow it away, thought they had a clear path & were ready to go.

But, protesters took to the back streets, and hundreds suddenly reappeared in their planned path & sat down.

It's like a real life version of whack a mole.

The cops have a big disadvantage when it comes to agility here - not just physically, they're all wearing loads of body armour and shit, but organisationally. They don't move without centralised orders and that just can't compete with a decentralised group who use far more sophisticated technology (i.e. "the internet") and are prepared to take individual action anyway. If there's any number of people with a coherent central plan who can improvise they run rings round them. The only thing they can do is try to reduce the numbers and that is difficult when aggressive and punitive action just increases them.

I noticed some of the police commentators interviewed on the BBC seemed to be aware of how limited they were and how little any of the macho bollocks being promoted by the Sun, Today etc would achieve. There was a constant thread of exasperated "well what do you actually want us to _do_? none of this is going to stop it, it will just make it all worse".

 

[Mr.Bishie]

 

[kenny g]

Just got back on the net after a few hours of rest time and massive grins! As soon as the boat was starting to become an icon for celebs and all the shite that might bring a new page starts to turn.

 

[cupid_stunt]

The cops have a big disadvantage when it comes to agility here - not just physically, they're all wearing loads of body armour and shit, but organisationally. They don't move without centralised orders and that just can't compete with a decentralised group who use far more sophisticated technology (i.e. "the internet") and are prepared to take individual action anyway. If there's any number of people with a coherent central plan who can improvise they run rings round them. The only thing they can do is try to reduce the numbers and that is difficult when aggressive and punitive action just increases them.

I noticed some of the police commentators interviewed on the BBC seemed to be aware of how limited they were and how little any of the macho bollocks being promoted by the Sun, Today etc would achieve. There was a constant thread of exasperated "well what do you actually want us to _do_? none of this is going to stop it, it will just make it all worse".

Yep, the police are totally confused by the whole situation, they can't go in hard against such peaceful protesters, when they are under a massive media spotlight, and it's not just UK media, but international media attention is focused on London, being the main protest, whilst there's also action across Europe, and even down under.

I take my hat off to this lot, it's funny as fuck.

 

[weltweit]

..
I take my hat off to this lot, it's funny as fuck.

I would take my hat off to them more if they had done it while parliament was sitting.

 

[editor]

Photos here -

More here - In photos: Extinction Rebellion protests at Oxford Circus, Marble Arch and Waterloo Bridge. Day 5: Friday 19th April 2019

 

[cupid_stunt]

I would take my hat off to them more if they had done it while parliament was sitting.

They wouldn't get this media coverage, it would be back to endless Brexit bollocks in the news, I think the timing is actually a very clever move.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

They wouldn't get this media coverage, it would be back to endless Brexit bollocks in the news, I think the timing is actually a very clever move.

And what with the younguns being off school. Where was their banner drop today saying “Are we the last generation?” Any photos of that? News coverage?

 

[Gramsci]

I would take my hat off to them more if they had done it while parliament was sitting.

I think that's unfair. I'm impressed they even managed to get several days protest at various locations in this countries capital City.

 

[cupid_stunt]

And what with the younguns being off school. Where was their banner drop today saying “Are we the last generation?” Any photos of that? News coverage?

Heathrow airport protest: Police stop Extinction Rebellion activists blocking road

Sky News interviewed a couple of teens at the Heathrow protest, sobbing, it was very moving, they played the PR card brilliantly.

 

[Spymaster]

Whay hasn't anyone locked themselves to the railings at Buckingham Palace? That would cause a proper shit show and be seen around the world. Ditto, Kensington Palace, Downing Street ...

 

[TopCat]

Whay hasn't anyone locked themselves to the railings at Buckingham Palace? That would cause a proper shit show and be seen around the world. Ditto, Kensington Palace, Downing Street ...

You first.

 

[weltweit]

They wouldn't get this media coverage, it would be back to endless Brexit bollocks in the news, I think the timing is actually a very clever move.

Aha, I hadn't thought of that.

I think that's unfair. I'm impressed they even managed to get several days protest at various locations in this countries capital City.

Yes, they are definitely doing well.

 

[Gramsci]

It could become more grassroots if people got involved and changed the direction

I feel ambivalent about a lot of XR strategy but I can see that the organisation that's built over recent months has been the key to keeping the action going since Sunday

As much as I admire what you and the other protestors are doing I have reservations about the leadership.

Looking at my notes of the video posted up by smokedout in post 668 another quote from Roger Hallam , a founder of ER, is that once the protest starts people will join up as people are "herd animal types". As this was posted on YouTube by XR, ie it could have been edited, its imo pretty derogatory statement to make of the average person who might offer some help.

And to take butchersapron comment post 680 if XR did get to have talks with government I'm a bit concerned who would this be. Sounds like Roger Hallam and Gail.

He does say in video idea is to use non violent direct action to bring capital city to a halt. Like a workforce uses strike to make management see its better to negotiate rather than lose more profits with longer strike.

When that has been done XR will meet government to discuss State of Emergency and Zero Carbon by 2025. Which can come across as verging on authoritarian to me. Something Roger criticised other social movements for btw.

This all sounds top down to me.

With ground level activists getting arrested , running occupations getting little say in the end.

I'm saying this as I've seen it happen in smaller scale community projects/ campaigns.

 

[mojo pixy]

my personal experience of nonviolent protest is that it's a bit easier to promote nonviolence when you aren't the one being hit. as much as on principle i agree nonviolence is broadly the preferable tactic, there genuinely is IMO a limit, especially when we take a step back and look at the bigger Class picture.

eta: i think in this particular case (extinction rebellion's current / ongoing actions) the push for nonviolence all the way through is wise. apart from the principle, it makes it harder for the police to find a pretext to wade in. that doesn't necessarily make it the ideal tactic at all places and times.

 

[Pickman's model]

As much as I admire what you and the other protestors are doing I have reservations about the leadership.

Looking at my notes of the video posted up by smokedout in post 668 another quote from Roger Hallam , a founder of ER, is that once the protest starts people will join up as people are "herd animal types". As this was posted on YouTube by XR, ie it could have been edited, its imo pretty derogatory statement to make of the average person who might offer some help.

And to take butchersapron comment post 680 if XR did get to have talks with government I'm a bit concerned who would this be. Sounds like Roger Hallam and Gail.

He does say in video idea is to use non violent direct action to bring capital city to a halt. Like a workforce uses strike to make management see its better to negotiate rather than lose more profits with longer strike.

When that has been done XR will meet government to discuss State of Emergency and Zero Carbon by 2025. Which can come across as verging on authoritarian to me. Something Roger criticised other social movements for btw.

This all sounds top down to me.

With ground level activists getting arrested , running occupations getting little say in the end.

I'm saying this as I've seen it happen in smaller scale community projects/ campaigns.

Yeh but I reckon the leaders will be left behind, the herd will overtake them

 

[treelover]

• Simon Bramwell taken away in a police van after supergluing himself to Shell HQ
• Gail Bradbrook, 47, of Wiltshire, was turned to activism by two psychedelic drugs
• Cambridge graduate Tasmin Osmond, 35, is granddaughter of Sir Thomas Lees
• George Barda, 43, blames the 'Criminal UK Government' for climate change

The faces behind the Extinction Rebellion climate change chaos | Daily Mail Online

The Mail names some of the 'leaders'

Good to see it wasn't a phase with Tamsin, Plane Stupid, etc.