Protestors climb on train

[omikron]

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

Climate change can't be stopped. All governments can do is try try to avert the worst case scenarios.
We aren't going to do that with reusable cups and home-grown lettuces.

We need government policy on transport, fossil fuels, housing etc to be developed and implemented. We can indeed blame other people for the majority of the deep shit we are in.
But no-one will vote for a political party on the basis of their environmental policies, or not at least until we fully understand the gravity of the situation.

I was kicked out of my state XR group for wrongthink on the topic 'how important is it for climate justice that we atone for previously posting a photograph to our FB page of a white woman with dreads?'

Apparently, we CANNOT solve the climate emergency without struggle sessions galore. I'm socialist leaning, and environment loving, but I am not here for that Stalinist shit.

It doesn't surprise me, however, that the same XR which melts down about intersectional microaggressions, is utterly blind to their own classism in targeting the ability of poorer workers to get to their (often low paid, often casual, often in the gig economy, without flexibility or 'protest leave') jobs.

They have a right to protest; they have a right to freedom from violence as a result of protest. I just think this particular protest smacks of middle class thoughtlessness.

Never stand in the way of London commuter going to work. Lucky they weren't torn limb from limb

We are notorious for it. We turn into heartless sods. Not cos we r nasty but the grind. The arseache of getting to work is bad enough when things are moving dont add o delays for self righteous twats.
Public transport is an answer to environmental damage...or am I wrong?

Haven’t seen footage but sounds bad

Targeting public transport is an odd choice

I think the issue here is the disconnect - The protesters appear (via voice and looks) to be white middle class. They are TELLING, the working class what they can an can not do from a position of power (i.e preventing them from going to work)

This is why the tube has hit such a nerve, it is reflective of the general views towards the selfish actions of these 'protesters'. It is the vessel in which many people have been able to show their true feelings, by commenting on the public 'fight back'. I am no way condoning the violent attack, but this is what happens, when a group of elite try to shut down the ability of those socially below them.

Why not volunteer by beach clean ups, planting tree workshops in disadvantaged areas, integrating with schools, and highlighting how small changes (not buying that bottle of water) can make a difference when magnified across the population.

Making school children literally cry as they think they will be dead in 6 months is not the way to do it.

The XR movement, has set back climate action hugely. Even more so it is seen as an white, elitest movement, full of dancing in the street off their heads hippies.

Pictures of people laying in the street, taking selfies does no more than enforce peoples views that this is nothing more than social status posturing.

I am just surprised that it took this long for the public backlash.

Canning town ...... Come on, of all places to pull this stunt, clearly never left his nice neighborhood.

Play crazy games, win crazy prizes

Apparently some protestors glued themselves to trains at Shadwell. Just drive the damned trains as usual then - by the time they get to Beckton the problem will be resolved.

Precisely. Natural consequences. Mumsnet loves "natural consequences". Pissing off people trying to earn a living? Natural consequences.

And have some judges fine these nutters £££££ to go some way towards wasted police time, and the cost of their prison places.

Slightly annoying for those affected, but in the scheme of things what ER does or doesn’t do is virtually irrelevant. I agree with ER on one fundamental point: it would be nice if governments listened to the science and started taking climate change seriously. Currently we are still sleep walking into catastrophe.

Is anyone else wondering how they got to and from the protest?

I am fully in support. Do we really think the shocking impact of climate change won't be far more disruptive than these protest actions?

The people I know who have been participating in Extinction Rebellion peaceful protests are employed and have taken time off work to be there. There are also quite a few retired people who are committing a lot of time to this, including Boris Johnson's own father. A Jewish rabbi of 70 something was arrested last Friday.

I agree with ER on one fundamental point: it would be nice if governments listened to the science and started taking climate change seriously.

They do listen to science hence why the calls for carbon neutral by 2025 is utter tosh and just simplistic black and white thinking.

Add on top that the movement isn't really about Climate but just a bunch of Anarchist larpers with inbuilt IDPOL shows how they thought demonstrating an electric mode of public transport in a non affluent area is as coherent as Broccoli man.

Do we really think the shocking impact of climate change won't be far more disruptive than these protest actions?

That’s not the question. The question is why are the masses being targeted when what’s really need for a fast change is legislation?

The people I know who have been participating in Extinction Rebellion peaceful protests are employed and have taken time off work to be there.

Where are they employed? Echo friendly careers? How do they normally get to work? Tube? Bus? Do any of them own or use cars?

They've 'taken time off work to be there' fine, but the people they're preventing going to work haven't taken time off today and could possibly loose their job or pay for the day if they don't turn up on time. How is it right to think 'I'm going to take off work today and prevent other people from going to work so I can force my beliefs onto them.'

The people I know who have been participating in Extinction Rebellion peaceful protests are employed and have taken time off work to be there. There are also quite a few retired people who are committing a lot of time to this, including Boris Johnson's own father. A Jewish rabbi of 70 something was arrested last Friday. How lovely for them

@cam77 - But they are listening, taxing diesel cars, grants for electric cars, some of the most enforced emissions standard on industry in the developed world. Cutting Coal powered emissions from 121 mtCo2 to 27 mtCo2 from 2013 - 2018.

The biggest polluter is transport, I do agree that there is much more to be done here. Incentive's for multi car commutes, decrease the cost of rail and public transport is a start.

The UK’s CO2 emissions have now been falling for six consecutive years, the longest run of reductions in records going back to 1850.

These are stats and facts, not scaremongering, not the end is nigh comments. I am sure that most protesters would not be able to cite this information.

When faced with true facts, XR look somewhat foolish.

Go protest India or China if you want to make a real impact on global CO2 emissions

@MotherOfDragonite
I broadly agree with you. Is ER annoying and rubbing some people the wrong. Yep. But it’s also getting people talking. ER may not be making many friends, but hopefully Many people have got to start looking at the bigger picture. The total abdication of responsibility by the world governments is the real crime - and people who keep voting for them despite this.

No one can surely think targeting public transport at 7am in a working class area of London is a good idea.

C'mon.

There are a billion other possibilities and they chose that?

Stupid.

So condescending, the attitude of m/c XR protesters: "It's for your own good!'

Leave the workers alone, fgs.

Another example of XR's appalling stupidity and smugness is that 'How to cope with going to prison' leaflet, which advised their naice protesters that prison was a good place to meditate and take naps, and that all prison guards are warmhearted ethnic minorities who would secretly sympathise with them.

@fromdownwest
If you want China to stop being the worlds factory then, yes, we should go protest there. Maybe their emissions will half. Problem is their Co2 output will have to be replicated elsewhere to compensate and I don’t think you’ll enjoy the rise in prices on more than half the stuff in your home...let’s maybe do the finger pointing closer to home, what seeing as UK emissions are several times per capita of China’s, despite us not even producing a fraction of what they produce in terms of physical goods.

fromdownwest it's only right that citizens should petition the government of their own country, who can take action to influence the countries with whom we trade and so on. A UK citizen protesting India or China really would have zero impact.
We really do still have an awfully long way to go in putting our own house in order, so we need to sort that before pointing the finger elsewhere.

I am fully in support. Do we really think the shocking impact of climate change won't be far more disruptive than these protest actions

But why pick on people using eco-friendly public transport?

The people I know who have been participating in Extinction Rebellion peaceful protests are employed and have taken time off work to be there

Blimey they get a lot of annual leave!

I'm sick of the softly softly approach towards these useless fucking lunatics and think it's time to pretend they are not there and carry on with business as usual ie drive the train with the them still on it, or water gun the fuckers off if you want to be kind about it. They are doing the opposite of what they are protesting about by trying to prevent people using public transport and making police officers get in their cars to go to their raves protests. Fucking idiots!

@Justanotherlurker
They are not listening to the science.

I wish I could say I was shocked & horrified by the crowd kicking the ever-loving shit out of the XR guys but tbh, what do you expect will happen if you disrupt a London Commute? London Commuters have zero tolerance for people who can't TfL properly or anything that needlessly disrupts services already plagued with faults & delays, depending on your branch. Especially somewhere like Canning Town; deliberately antagonizing people who are more likely to be on a lower or casual wage and therefore can't afford the day off or to be late? Cruising for a bruising.

I used to catch trains & tubes at that time of the morning and earlier when I was opening up shops as a manager, sometimes as cover, earning a bit over NMW. Depending on how punitive the company policy was and who else was available/had keys/was awake, something like that could have caused me serious bother and lost me pay. I can quite understand why the crowd went for them!

Maybe go back to targeting the organisations that cause the problems - the big corporations.
Have they actually done that at any point?