Protestors climb on train

[omikron]

What on earth to ER hope to achieve this morning?! Such arseholes

I was on a bus that was held up by XR last week. One of the protestors came round to the driver and offered him some chocolate, which was Cadbury’s or such like. A passenger indignantly pointed out to the protestor that his chocolate was full of palm oil.

This kind of stuff really pisses me off, while I’m all for an appropriate protest it’s a complete own goal

It also completely diverts police resources away from being available for actual crimes. Fucking idiots.

beating up the protester

@GCAcademic I bet your bus, and a lot of the vehicles around it, spent some time idling as well.

I know lots of people involved, and they are all people with jobs who have taken time off to protest, because they are terrified of what the future holds, and feel that not enough is being done.

It's a movement, not a membership organisation, so people in one part of the movement will not have had any input into what other people in the movement are doing.

I've supported the protests entirely so far - if you are going to get arsey about traffic jams in London, then maybe get arsey about all the single-person large cars that cause traffic jams (and pollution) every single bloody day.

That said, I think they've chosen the entirely wrong target here. We want to promote tube travel, not disrupt it! A real own goal. Maybe go back to targeting the organisations that cause the problems - the big corporations.

Most other activist groups despise XR for their arrogance and stupidity.

I wonder how many people delayed getting to work will be sanctioned by their employers for being late? Will be in trouble for being late and not opening up offices / buildings on time? Will have missed transport connections and then have to buy new tickets they can ill afford?
Extinction Rebellion seems to be the most privileged of groups with no insight into the needs of those who need to work for their living?

My friend coordinates multiple local grassroots environmental groups. They do tree-planting, waterway cleaning and erosion control, amongst other things. She says there is not a single crossover with any member of ER in her groups.

I seem to be in a tiny minority that was horrified by the commuters' response, and especially the attack on the guy who was filming.

Imo the right to protest is one of the cornerstones of a democracy. People who feel this is an appropriate response to a peaceful protest should try living somewhere that this right doesn't exist and see how they feel about that.

I get that it's immensely frustrating, having commuted into London myself, but that's the price we pay for living in a free country. And let's face it, this was a one-off, unlike the daily delays suffered by rail commuters because of under-investment and mismanagement.

@GCAcademic I bet your bus, and a lot of the vehicles around it, spent some time idling as well.

Yep, we were stuck there for 10 minutes before the driver agreed to let us off.

The usual has happened. A hard working group of committed protesters with a good, solid ideology have been taken over by rent a mob idiots with nothing better to do that ‘smash shit up’.

Spot on. They are acting like a bunch of morons.

Ah well.. for anecdotal balance.

I too know a few people involved. I first met them blocking access to the village I lived in, threatening locals, kicking cars - they were hunt sabs then.

I met a few again a while later, trampling through my garden in the wee hours of the morning. Making formal complaints to the police on scene - my chicken fence had electrocuted a dog! They were badger cull protestors then.

One of them is a woman in her 30s now. She is a professional protestor. Officially domiciled in Essex. During 'the season' she goes home to sign on... How do I know? Because, along with a number of other people she verbally and physically harrassed for having the temerity to live in a rural village, I reported her to the police, to the benfit fraud line etc. She's not too clever with her IT skills, her facebook is wide open!

They are quite visible.... woman from Essex is easily seen in quite a few pictures of previous XR marches and protests. I still wonder how she manages to claim benefts when she is so visibly not looking for work!

I don't approve at all of beating up protesters, however tiresome or wrong they may be. But XR's leadership will be fucking loving it as it allows them to play the martyr.

I believe that they should be allowed to protest. But they have no right to disrupt.

He didn't get beaten up or not as much as he could have been. The staff and a few commuters (including two women) stopped him getting beaten up.

And let's face it, this was a one-off, unlike the daily delays suffered by rail commuters because of under-investment and mismanagement.

To be fair that's a good point, my Southern direct train was abandoned during their fiasco & my 15min journey became an hour one plus I was pregnant which didn't help.

That video of the protester being dragged off the top of the train was awful - really nasty. It looked like he was about to get beaten to death at one point! No excuse for that. However. Targeting public transport is bloody stupid.

I think ERs biggest weakness is that it’s such a broad church that it has no central message. Protesters have targeted Billingsgate fish market because of the fish being ‘dragged from their ocean homes’, then the people glueing themselves to the train today were talking about their religious beliefs and their decision to disrupt trains heading to the City because they felt like money is God now, then on the Southbank at the weekend there was a procession of people in red costumes and face paint (no idea what that was about?!), and it’s all a bit confused and disorganised. So the central message gets lost and people get pissed off.

I think that in the main the protesters have a legtimitate cause ,however as with many things, it only takes a few bloody idiots to take it too far and lose public sympathy ! Totally the wrong thing to do .Climate change is obviously important but cant be solved overnight!

I don’t agree with the methods the protesters are choosing or that they target public transport, but I’m saddened the majority of posters on here have no problem with the mob of angry commuters beating up a protester. Is thuggery ok now if it defends your opinion?

I hope everyone will see them for the idiots they are now and the virtue signalling slebs will stop encouraging them.

Disrupting public transport, FGS.

Are there not any highly experienced 90s crusties who can come out of retirement and organise some sensible climate protesting?

I don’t think some of their armchair supporters realised the effect that the Trafalgar Square encampment had on the public transport system in the centre last week - making it hard for normal working people to get to their jobs on buses , or packed in on the Tube because of the lack of buses.

I had to be in the centre several times last week and was either up the side of Trafalgar Square or cutting across the top. There were a few nice, well meaning people handing out leaflets or looking happy to engage in discussions but the majority absolutely were there for the drumming/let’s have festival. Public sympathy had fallen right through the floor by the end of the first week - they are harming the cause they claim to espouse .

We need to stop branding these morons as protesters. They’re not, they’re your average thug looking for a ruck. Probably the same thugs who go to football matches to cause trouble or who get involved in punch-ups in their local of a Friday and Saturday night.

The climate change message is real but everyone can do a small part without everyone being bullied into changing their whole life’s outlook.

No I don’t drive a car or fly (although Emma Thompson seemed to manage it even though she’s “protesting” as well,”But I refuse to become a vegan or even a vegetarian when pictures of ER are seen queuing outside Burger King while shouting at people that they need to be vegans...

The whole climate change is actually being lost now, which has had totally the opposite impact.

The usual has happened. A hard working group of committed protesters with a good, solid ideology have been taken over by rent a mob idiots with nothing better to do that ‘smash shit up’. I feel sorry for the people who have put their lives on hold to genuinely try and campaign for a better planet for all of us.

THIS!

I've been extremely supportive of ER up to now, and very grateful for them. But this is nonsense. It's hard to believe that any sensible campaigner would think this was a good idea.

but I’m saddened the majority of posters on here have no problem with the mob of angry commuters beating up a protester.

I agree

Moral of the story: don't mess with East London