Extinction Rebellion says TWAW, no debate.

I am broadly, if critically, sympathetic to XR, and (like the other people I know who are involved in XR) I thought the train action was deeply, deeply stupid.

What pisses me off about this "TWAW!" statement is that it flies in the face of scientific consensus, and weakens XR's ability to build a broad movement.

What really really pisses me off is that XR as it is currently constituted was built on the work of thousands and thousands of people, many, many of them women, who were not consulted about this. XR as a movement has been stolen, like so many other movements, from the women who built them.

What keeps bothering me is the way they phrase it.

TWAW, any challenge to that is a challenge to their existence, is harassment, is hate, etc. etc. etc.

Goes to show they are nothing but authoritarian bullies.

Looks like XR are trying to distance themselves from this group

So XR basically believe this study which suggested that you only need 3.5% of the population to take action (e.g. a protest) to get meaningful change. Their whole strategy is essentially designed around that which is why they think they don't have to engage the general public at large. As long as they can convince 3.5% of the population then they will win (or so they believe).

The problem is that they have massively overestimated the proportion of the population who are middle class "woke" hippies. Because these people live in bubbles where everyone is like them, and everyone supports XR, they're painfully disconnected from the rest of society. I mean I don't mind a bit of eco-warrior, hippy shit every now and again but going to one of their meetings was too much even for me. I could just about cope with the jazz hands instead of clapping but I ran away as soon as the group singing started.

That is what I felt during the big London actions of last year.

I try to use as little plastic as possible: go to the market for fruit rather than M&S, use shampoo bars, decide actively how to get somewhere with walking, cycling and public transport preferred to car, keep my house at a lower temperature and wear a jumper, repair and mend, and so on. Think about carbon emissions before booking a holiday. I would love to see emphasis given on other things I could do.

Instead ER had all sorts of plastic tat specially printed, and which they left behind. No real sign that they had any interest in practical steps. Every chance many of them have higher carbon emissions than I do.

I think what I find strange about ER and what I have just read about DGR is they both put themselves forward as the leaders of a necessary revolution in western consumer society.

And although they both have their grand genstures, neither of them have any plan about how to work with everyday people, whose lives would be impacted by change. ie them seem to think that ordinary people shouldn't be part of it and presumably will be forced to accept whatever outcome these vanguard leaders achieve.

Very odd.

But I suppose you cant really pose as an eco warrior if in fact your campaigning is meeting up with the local mother and toddlers group, or getting pensioners involved.

So much more fun to get young people over excited and doing "daring" actions.

This is infiltration and more grooming of the young.

Any children or teens who were involved in the school strikes will be aware of ER and taking an interest. The symbol is trendy. The ideas are exciting.

It's more propaganda to promote the ideology.

They're dickheads in Denmark too. They blockaded a McDonalds because "the rainforest" but wouldn't let a woman in a wheelchair through their blockade to use the loos. They let men through, by the way, because the men body checked them and they got out of the way.

I was so hopeful they'd be a force to reckon with but they're just more of the same.

Bizarre. XR is meant to be about preventing the destruction of life on this planet. To narrow the audience by throwing in with that some gender ideology makes no sense and is irresponsible.

Also, whoever is in the local group in Wales is culturally clueless. They made an entire display in English despite it being a mostly Welsh speaking area.

What on earth has climate change to do with trans ideology?

They are abandoning the idea of being a one issue campaign group and starting to become a political group as well. What a shame. The idiots will alienate so many people by doing that.

As I said I was looking into DGR, or any environmental movement that doesn't disregard biology.
I also didn't know about the "armed struggle" described on wiki. Food for thought, thank you!

Yeah they are not impressed at all

Errol

Don't bother yourself. Waste of time asking.

Google "Canning Town station Extinction Rebellion terrorists v real people going about their business" on a multi person cleanish system.

How could it possibly be? I've no idea what you're driving at.

YouTube.

"Canning Town Station."

"Extinction Rebellion."

This is what working class, middle class, tax paying, immigrant, Brit. Born, all colours, all ethnicities, don't live on social-media, female, women, male, men, Mumsnetters see of ER.

Biology isn't XR's to bin, is it?

And for avoidance of doubt, biology isn't in the bin either.

Are we still supposed to believe in the science behind climate change now or is that in the bin with basic biology now?

Science, unlike gender politics, isn't a matter of belief.

The climate is changing, and there is overwhelming evidence that it's largely man-made. Whether the XR crowd understand science or not makes no difference to reality.

I now know so many GC Green Party members, and a few candidates actually that I'm thinking of joining. Some part of me thinks a lot of younger people might join too so, worth trying to keep it balanced. Yes it's had a bad rep but I've also heard other sides of stories due to those I know within it.

(I'm not a brilliant practising green but I know we need to get serious about environmental stuff. Have done since the early 90s.)

Didn't know that bit about the deep greens; I do like their page on women though.

Fab. Good to know who they are.

Are we still supposed to believe in the science behind climate change now or is that in the bin with basic biology now?

Every single political movement has utter dicks in it, because politics is by and for human beings. XR is leaderless and gender politics isn’t its coalescing point, so I have no idea why they are tweeting about this or who they can say that they are actually representing by saying it.

The gluing on to a train thing was stupid but XR did lots of other things too at the same time and have raised awareness of climate emergency which is a good, urgent thing to do. One of the reasons I am so pissed off with the need to have to defend being a woman is also that it’s such a massive distraction at a time of global climate emergency..