Interesting posts here.
I did post up photos of the Green Anti Capitalist Front. They had there own protest separate from XR rebellion. They had protest in the City of London. For non Londoners the "City" is separate entity from the rest of London. It does include all the financial intstitutions like Stock Exchange and Bank of England.
XR rebellion took place outside the City in the "West End" the shopping centre/ museum centre. XR have , surprisingly to me, avoided protests against major financial institutions.
XR protest to me was not trying to avoid issues of capitalism involvement in climate change. Its reformist not revolutionary. But using radical measures adopted from civil rights movements. Which in themselves were reformist. As in USA. Not a criticism but a fact.
An anecdote. On Waterloo Bridge one morning got chatting to one XR rebel. He said he was well off professional so not "arrestable". Fair enough. We had a chat. I said protest got discussion away from Brexit. That there were other issues like inequality/ so called austerity cuts which had been like climate change pushed to the background.
His reply was that climate change would affect everyone rich/ privileged or poor. Didn't make a difference. So for him XR wasn't about confronting issues like this Tory government. It was more , from his point of view, an existential crisis for humanity as a whole. "Beyond politics" as the XR leaflets said.
XR strategy , unlike GAF, is to blame government/ State inaction. Not overtly blame Capitalism or argue for the overthrow of Capitalism.
Its like
Brainaddict post where CEOs in USA asked government to do more. Some Capitalists know that they are like ferrets in a sack.Competing with each other. The State does and always has had role in regulating Capitalism. So its rational response by group of Capitalists who are personally concerned about climate change to ask the State to bring in ground rules on business and climate change.
XR is not against Capitalism. Its position is to get broad base of support.From "arrestable" to people donating funds. A broad spectrum.
Its not about Rebelling against Capitalism as such.
This isn't a criticism. Its my view from what I've seen.
They are a mixed bunch. From all out Vegans, Mother Earth types and middle class professionals who want Green Capitalism.
Its a mistake to see use of NVDA as inherently revolutionary in the sense of overthrowing capitalism.
I don't think they have ever said that.
For the leading lights in XR the one big thing effecting humanity as a whole is climate change. Everything else pales into the background.
XR view is that we have until 2025 to halt worst effects. So , and this is my reading, its not the particular political set up of individual countries they are concerned about. Its about getting whatever government in power to put in law Zero Carbon by 2025.
XR view, from what I've seen, is that humanity hasn't the time to argue about individual political structures in separate countries.
Climate change is the one and only thing now. Its an emergency for humanity.
