Extinction Rebellion co-founder says he would block an ambulance carrying a dying patient

[sst1234]

How can anyone support this bunch of nasty idiots who are willing to commit what can only be described as murder. How can anyone justify this? Imagine how you would feel it was one of you family members in that ambulance, this man would not hesitate to cause their death.

@katnyps

But .. if climate change isn't mitigated there will be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, I'd excess deaths attributable to it? It's an insensitive thing to say and not wise, really, but I think that's his point?

No one’s arguing about climate change. People are sick of the message being given by people who don’t follow their own message. Celebrities using private jets, these idiots who don’t even have insulation in their own houses.

If you’re going to preach to others and kill their loved ones at least have the decency to abide by your own code of conduct.

@tenredthings

ER are doing everything they can to get climate change in the front of peoples thoughts. Climate Change is a huge tsunami approaching us and people don't want to look at it. We are running out of time !

The ambulance comment is straight out of the Trump schoolbook of what the fuckery. Say something super controversial and outrageous, everyone talks about it in an outraged manner but the core message Climate Change will hopefully enter people's consciousness enough to promote the action needed. The fact is the protesters do get out of the way of ambulances. Their goal is to promote change. Being outrageous gets media coverage and sometimes negative coverage gets the core message out there faster.

And look where Trumps comments led. An attack on democracy and 5 deaths. Zero progress for whatever the fuck he stood for.

By condoning this you are very much part of a problem that is just as scary as climate change and which will probably thwart any progress being made by the people doing the hard miles. Those are the grown ups lobbying politicians, getting deals done and changing hearts and minds.

Shame on you for encouraging this.

They move aside for ambulances? Oh, good for them!

Even if they eventually do move, you're right in saying that time counts, so what's lost through their pointless grandstanding can damage folk all the same

Ironic, really, that time is what they insist we're short of - except it only seems to matter when it relates to their cause

Let’s face it the world has never gotten better because of zealous, ideological fanatics. Their contribution is always mayhem death and destruction. It doesn’t matter what good or improvement they promote they just cause chaos and war.
Because this behaviour will polarise not unite people into progressive change.

I agree with the pp who said XR and IB are a doomsday cult. They seem to pop up repeatedly and proclaim pending extinction of humanity and life on Earth.

The world was supposed to end in 1989 with everyone “disappearing in a cloud of blue steam” because “drastic action is needed to head off...a catastrophic explosion caused by runaway population growth, a limited world food supply and contamination of the planet by man.”

@MadamMedea

What a cunt. I bet if you asked him if he would block an ambulance carrying his own mother the answer would be different.

I'd argue if the answer is "yes", it is even worse.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

They move aside for ambulances? Oh, good for them!

Even if they eventually do move, you're right in saying that time counts, so what's lost through their pointless grandstanding can damage folk all the same

Ironic, really, that time is what they insist we're short of - except it only seems to matter when it relates to their cause

If you are being blue lighted in an ambulance I’d say every second counts. Let alone if a fire truck is sitting in traffic waiting for the protestors to be unglued...

Let’s not forget we’ve got a whole loads of new crazies with the anti vaccine mob. They’ve started to protest now. They were outside a TV doctors house yesterday hassling him because he is pro vaccine.

The common denominator of most of these extremists is a personality disorder. The rest of us are just trying to get through the day.

@katnyps

But .. if climate change isn't mitigated there will be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, I'd excess deaths attributable to it? It's an insensitive thing to say and not wise, really, but I think that's his point?

I’m glad you get his point. The rest of us are just clearly dense: Wonder if you would get it if it was your family member in an ambulance. No, thought not.

@londonrach

Saw that and was shocked. Change with manslaughter if they do Yanbu.

I have very much mixed feelings. Killing one person is bad. On the other hand killing everyone - which is what we're currently doing, along with numerous other species - is FUCKING BAD too.

That is the whole point OP.

"I’m glad you get his point. The rest of us are just clearly dense: Wonder if you would get it if it was your family member in an ambulance. No, thought not."

Most people are SELFISH and would prioritize their kid over humanity. We need people willing to risk being beaten to a pulp or going to prison; people willing to make huge self-sacrifices for the greater good.

I have very much mixed feelings. Killing one person is bad. On the other hand killing everyone - which is what we're currently doing, along with numerous other species - is FUCKING BAD too

Yeah this is not happening. Media is very irresponsible in giving people the impression that climate change will end life on earth.

Most people are SELFISH and would prioritize their kid over humanity. We need people willing to risk being beaten to a pulp or going to prison; people willing to make huge self-sacrifices for the greater good

Omg do u really think this? This is Cultural Revolution-tier hysteria.

I can see their point of view as they believe billions will die and if you weigh that up against 1 or 2 dying through road closures they think they are right. However I do not agree with them and was so pleased to see those Wandsworth lads next to the ambulance driver lift them up and move them off the road - that should be done all the time right away by motorists to remove them immediately so a long hold up becomes a very short one indeed.

I think someone should ask him if he would still be happy with that if it was his relative in the back of the ambulance needing urgent treatment. I also would like to know how he's going to feel if one of his protestors gets severely injured and they can't get the ambulance to them. As I really feel that is going to happen quite soon. I don't actually know how that guy sleeps at night. He's going to have blood on his hands for loft insulation! Wtf?

@Blankspace4

They are terrible and actively put me off caring about the environment or sustainability, so they are counter to their own purported cause.

Also they are working directly against their own cause. Their protest is to do with stopping situations that cause danger, death, and destruction.

It's the trolley problem, but they've forgotten the enormous caveat that, in this instance, there are other options.

I’m glad you get his point. The rest of us are just clearly dense: Wonder if you would get it if it was your family member in an ambulance. No, thought not.

I'm not saying I would do the same - just trying to empathise with the point of view.

@FreeBritnee

Let’s not forget we’ve got a whole loads of new crazies with the anti vaccine mob. They’ve started to protest now. They were outside a TV doctors house yesterday hassling him because he is pro vaccine.

The common denominator of most of these extremists is a personality disorder. The rest of us are just trying to get through the day.

We have had those crazies around since the invention of vaccines back in the 1800s, unfortunately the invention of the internet has let them spread their voice further and wider. But agree these people are never really interested in vaccines/or climate change, just want to be in the middle of something causing trouble

@Xenia

I can see their point of view as they believe billions will die and if you weigh that up against 1 or 2 dying through road closures they think they are right. However I do not agree with them and was so pleased to see those Wandsworth lads next to the ambulance driver lift them up and move them off the road - that should be done all the time right away by motorists to remove them immediately so a long hold up becomes a very short one indeed.

I think this is likely to be the default solution from now on. I don't know if they glue / tie themselves through?

kat I am not on their sides at all. I would rather we stayed as we were, kept our gas boilers, my diesel car, continued as is and humans died off a bit sooner. I only meant I understand their position on the "greater good" in their eyes.

@Franklyfrost

Ecocide is genocide. He’s not doing himself any favours by saying it out loud but he’s right. The dying person in the ambulance has human drama. But the fact that the dying person could be one of the 50,000 deaths a year in the uk from air pollution (house of commons air audit 2010) isn’t as dramatic.

But blocking that person from getting medical care isn't furthering their cause.

says it all doesnt it theyre going about it the wrong way

insulate britain yesterday blocked paramedics who dragged them off themselves-theyve lost mst of their support now

@LaetitiaASD

That is the whole point OP.

"I’m glad you get his point. The rest of us are just clearly dense: Wonder if you would get it if it was your family member in an ambulance. No, thought not."

Most people are SELFISH and would prioritize their kid over humanity. We need people willing to risk being beaten to a pulp or going to prison; people willing to make huge self-sacrifices for the greater good.

He’s not self sacrificing. He is putting a life in jeopardy. If he can’t value one life then he can’t value all life.

As to your call to action, sounds a lot like the sacrifices asked by the Hitlers and Stalin’s of this world of common people. People who didn’t value a life either and then didn’t value life at all.

Xenia the issue is it's not just us dying off a bit sooner.
I'll also admit I'm selfish in that I don't think the human race is any less important than the rest of the animals / plants on this planet - I'd rather we find a way that as many of us (all of us) survive as possible!

They're scum plain and simple. The argument that they're "just" killing one person but climate change "will" kill millions is nonsensical. Humans have great ability to adapt, the species will survive in one form or another. Many of the people who "will" be affected aren't even born yet! You may as well argue that a man who masturbates is a mass-murderer because of all those potentially fertilising sperm are going to waste.

Also, the IB/XR clowns claim that history shows the only thing that works is direct action. Bullshit. Direct action works when the majority support the demonstraters, even if they don't take part in the rioting themselves. People don't support the IB/XR twats. Seeing that poor woman wanting to visit her mother in hospital yesterday, seeing paramedics pleading for the protestor scum to let the ambulance through, hardens me against the protestors and their cause. I'd rather Boris Johnson decided to build coal power stations and ban electric cars than to cave into these people. "You don't negotiate with terrorists" - look what happens when they did in Afghanistan, we don't need that shit here.

The only positive of this situation is that it is gaining support for the governments plans to crackdown on protests generally. There was an outcry about this earlier in the year when the government wanted to prevent "disruptive" protests, but people happily killing others to make their point is persuading many that a tightening of the rules and the threat of serious prison time for protestors is a good thing indeed.

I've always thought that if you can't persuade people through debate and rational argument then perhaps your cause isn't as justified or important as you think.