to dislike Extinction Rebellion

[Azeema]

I live in farming village. We are getting in harvest.
But today on village green extinction rebellion has decided to have a party with drums, loud music and a megaphone. Green is right opposite care home for elderly.
I asked them, who are you protesting? There are no corporations here. Everyone is aware of environment as we grow your food.
They have been very rude, refusing to turn down noise despite disabled residents with migraines suffering.
They made me very upset talking about how England could grow own food and have lower footprint if not so many people (I’m an immigrant) looking at me like I should leave country.

Sorry to hear you had to put up with being made to feel unwelcome as an immigrant here Azeema.

What happyparent said.

I've tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. I really have. I appreciate that they are trying to impress the urgency of the situation we are in. And their media coverage has really got people talking about the issue and realising that action is imperative. Which is good, and very impressive for such a short time.

But - no. The approach is all, totally wrong. They seem to behave like spoilt children demanding their own way without accepting any compromise and without any consideration for others, whether in agreement with their cause or not. And we know how well that goes for small children... Also, with my environmental scientist hat on, they are totally oversimplifying the "science" they claim to rely on. In my opinion, what they are asking for will actually worsen the situation compared to a more balanced approach. They are "making the perfect the enemy of the good" by refusing anything that will reduce our emissions by a bit, for example, and insisting on a sudden, immediate stop to any emissions. Which, in practice, will just mean we'll have to import stuff - increasing emissions overall.

I also dislike the way they are being held up by your average environmentally minded people as the new saviours. There are some people who have been quietly working to the same aims for years with an awful lot of success - albeit without the media exposure and encouraging people to get arrested and not bother going to school and whatnot. Just shouting about the issue and causing disruption isn't going to get anything actually done, yet the quiet plodding along with technology and education and policy changes is totally spurned by them as "not having done anything". (Disclaimer: I may be feeling a bit personally miffed at this).

Sympathies OP. It sounds awful, and I can quite believe the arrogance you are being treated to.

They didn’t say anything directly to you about being an immigrant, unless you’ve missed out a key part of the conversation, you keep saying “they looked at me like...” so you’re filling in the gaps yourself.

I’m sorry they’re being obnoxious with their music but you can see how people who are genuinely terrified we are destroying humanity’s future can find someone having a migraine a bit trivial. It’s not like it’s the middle of the night.

I heard a caller to LBC refer to Extinction Rebellion as Poundland Greenpeace - spot on!

Right message, wrong tactics. Chaining themselves to an electric DLR train. Blocking Oxford Circus when almost no-one arrives by car.

How many people are aware of the climate emergency right now because of the work they have been doing?

One thing I can’t wait for is non-animal meat. I cut back on eating meat as much as possible without dropping it completely.

but how will this meat-free-meat be made? will it be less damaging than what we do now? ( I don't know the answer)

They are idiots
They may have a valid message but there way of going about it won't change peoples minds, it just pisses people off.

Like in Australia they have glued themselves intersections in Melbourne, even stopping emergency vehicles. Same in Brisbane.

They have broken into farms and stolen livestock, don't care what your message is, that's break and enter and theft.

One thing I can’t wait for is non-animal meat.

That wouldn't be meat.

Take the slurry spreader ................

Yanbu they are generally speaking wankers who are all talk but don't practice what they preach.

Unless they're all child free and vegan they're hypocrites.

I know several members who are neither and I can't take that seriously.

The aims are right but don't preach unless you're beyond reproach.

Also hope you told them to piss off when they asked how many kids you have. Cheeky fuckers.

And for all the posters saying oh I'm sure they would never say anything about immigrants. How the fuck do you know. The op was there and is surely a better judge of what they were implying.

personally I find there’s a weird psychological element to it that gets my back up. It’s like I turn into a teenager when people start preaching.

Ikwym. I think it's because they're sanctimonious about it.

I only became convinced about their message when I saw the skateboard ramp on Waterloo Bridge.

Unfortunately any cause like this attract people who want an excuse to engage in general anti social behaviour, many there aren't bothered about the cause, they just want a day out and make some noise.

And of course people involved in XR can be racist nobheads, strange to think they are all sweetness and light.

The message is good, their methods suck.
You don't endear people to your cause by being rude,a nuisance, ignoring other's needs or scoffing at "just a migraine".

That's without going into the whole practice what you preach.

They even ask me about my children, how many, and try to shame me

I'm confused about why you'd engage with them about this? Surely the only sensible reply is "that's really none of your business"?

Several young folk are I know are involved in ER's fashionable silliness; they all love a good "event" and telling everyone else how to live, but seem strangely reluctant to discuss their own frequent flights, addiction to wasteful gadgets and so on

I just give them a tolerant smile and a "yes, dear" now. It doesn't go down very well, but at least it saves listening to their ill digested cant

The agree with their sentiment, but seeing as my weekend off next weekend (the last before DS starts school and is promised him son fun trips out) has been cancelled due to their protest, I’m not a huge fan right now.

*I promised
*some fun

They are brilliant. They are the only ones that have made any difference to the climate crisis. They have actually managed to achieve massive publicity for climate change and the catastrophic disaster that awaits if we do nothing. They have succeeded in getting many companies / organisations to divest in fossil fuels, and many others to declare a climate emergency.
The situation is beyond alarming and we are running out of time rapidly. We have only 11 years left to save ourselves and the earth. Their tactics make this more possible, we should all be thanking them. They are risking themselves through arrest and through aggression from others to fight this cause for everyone on this planet.

@Coldilox you agree with the sentiment but not the fact that they are ruining your fun? Are you serious? Do you understand how dire the situation is? Do you understand how we have very little time left to mitigate the disaster that is coming if we do nothing? Your fun weekend is pretty irrelevant compared to what they are fighting for. This is the problem. People agree “in principle” but really they couldn’t care less about climate change. The moment they are inconvenienced in any way, this is their attitude.
I suggest you read some of the research, and then decide how much fun or convenience trumps this cause. We are all going to suffer and need to start adapting and making sacrifices now.

YAMBI These people are massive cunts.

Nobody wants to experience these repulsive arrogant pieces of shit who barely (if at all) work for a living, stopping you from doing your work, telling you your their kids should be dead for the good of the planet or anything else.

The problem is our society has grown too comfortable with the idea that we, either as rich parents or through the state, pay wankers to spend all day coming up with problems to fill their time with, then inflicting them on the rest of us. I bet if those people on your village green lost the bank of mum and dad or the dole and had to worry about their own bills, rent etc for 6 months they would be less inclined to be in your village costing people a day's wages and telling them who should live in the uk.

YANBU. I have no idea what YAMBI means. Anyway, I am cross on your behalf. These people should piss off and leave you alone imo, don't you dare feel unwelcome, these city bums are more foreign to countryside British people than you will ever be OP.

OP You dont see any problem with people burning an effigy of Grenfell but THIS you have a problem with.

Because it affects you.