To take DD to the Extinction Rebellion protest next weekend?

[Rainallnight]

DD is 6, going on 7. Saturday is some sort of family oriented Earth day. I’d like to take her because I think it’s an important historical moment in the climate crisis.

BUT I have no idea if it’s safe, or even whether getting there and back will be a nightmare for small people.

Has anyone taken DC to one of these before? Is it manageable?

I honestly wouldn’t take your child if I was you.

Agreed!

Excellent response.

For Instagram likes.

Planning to go there with a 7 years old and a 3 years old. Extinction rebellion protests are never violent. It's supposed to be a family friendly day.
I also want to make sure my children will know we at least cared enough about climate change to show up at events aimed at increasing awareness of it.

Me too, I hope it goes well for you, I see that the detailed site map is about to be published which will help with planning etc.

The contrasting opinions between those who have actually been to an XR protest vs those who haven't says it all.
Violent? XR have had many people arrested (although as rightly pointed out they're moving away from less disruptive activities) but never for violent conduct.
Students? Well, there are a few but in my local group we'll over 50% are retired, and most of those are grandparents. Of those that are of working age, I'd say more than half are in caring professions (doctors, nurses, midwives).
They are passionate, sometimes angry but they are resolutely nonviolent and thoughtful people.
To the OP, I'd suggest you and make up your own mind from up close rather than take the Daily Mail view...

Considering each new human being we produce affects the environment quite significantly, it seems a little hypocritical to then attend an environmental protest. It would be much more beneficial to work on getting your family's own impact down on a day to day basis. You can model good habits to your DC and in turn, they might demonstrate good habits to their peers.

But where is the self-congratulatory feeling of superiority in that?

Virtues must be signalled.

@Augend23

I've been to plenty of protests in my time and it's never yet caused me a problem getting a job, or indeed any of my family. And yes that includes the type of companies you're describing in your post.

I disagree. If you are an activist - particularly a political activist, or with groups like ER - that is a mark against you. If you are arrested at a protest, another mark against you. If your job requires any kind of security clearance, forget it. If a family member has a position with security clearance, they may also have trouble. This is simply how it works.

You do realise the potential impact of being seen to be a member of a protest group? This could affect her career prospects for her entire life

Just calling this one out as undoubtedly the most daft comment of the day. I'd love to know how a 6 year old minor being taken by their parent to a Family Climate Change event is going to be associated as a protest activist in 20 years' time. Not sure if it was a joke though.

So you have to be an activist.

and you have to be arrested for being an activist.

the OPs child is 6 years old.....

I leave this thought for people to make their own decision.

If you do, and is raining, please be sure to point out to your daughter how the waterproofs many of the protesters are wearing have been made from oil based products.

I also want to make sure my children will know we at least cared enough about climate change to show up at events aimed at increasing awareness of it.

Comments like this make me 😂, so how many people are now aware of climate change and ecological issues by now? Also how many people are you and your merry little band going to enlighten in the middle of London where a majority of the the UK will not even be or see or even notice. Protests on London are just white noise to politicians who see them daily.

Apart from your actions actually contributing to damaging the environment, pissing the general public off what are you going to actually achieve? It's a hypocritical display of wokeism and self richeous bull shit. As I said want to do some thing take your kids out volunteer actually do some thing or stay at home tech them some actual science or ecology. There are plenty of materials online or books to educate yourself a until they are old enough to learn STEM subjects.

Came to do the same.

With an added layer of if people truly believe that going to a protest march at age 6 will affect their entire career prospects? And if they are ok with that, because that's some level of state authoritarianism...

The thing is they don't need to win an argument. They don't need people to like them.

XR isn't a co-ordinated hierarchical org, they're groups with common principles.

They've made tons of mistakes but when you look at the awareness of climate change issues it jumps massively after they started. As it tends to with any disruptive protest.

The ordinary people on the street wearing oil coats won't make the difference here. We all need the governments to make choices with climate change front and centre, and for that to happen voters need to care. Whether you agree or disagree with the protests, the tactics etc is irrelevant.

Unless you've saying 'because of these annoying loud crusties I want more climate change '

None of these organised events are important moments in the fight against climate change.

They might give you a rosy glow or a feeling of righteousness, but they will achieve little. The BRICS and other countries want to have what the West have but without the democracies or societies that go with it. For decades oil is going to be pumped out of the Middle East to fund the building of new cities. Forests are going to be cut down to be replaced with palms for oil so the whole world can have wider dietary choices. Roads and railways are going to be built across Asia and into Africa to access natural resources and human capital. And the Arctic is on the cusp of being exploited for minerals.

All these things are going to be planned, decided and executed by societies and organisations a world away from London, Brussels and Washington. Demonstrating in these places is futile. These are not the places where the decisions are made for the worst kinds of thing that are going to happen.

Don’t think that demonstrating in Hyde Park is going to stop the decisions made in Moscow, Rio or Beijing. It’s not.

Who funds China? Why do they make so much stuff? Who buys it?

Pretending this stuff happens outside of our consumer buying trends is wilfully obtuse. We've outsourced out manufacturing to countries like China, India and Pakistan and now we're acting like they're the problem.

The Brazilian people have elected a president that recognises the unique role they play in climate. Russia/Ukraine is absolutely about power. The response should be to accelerate wind/solar etc which decentralises power from nation states.

It’s unlikely to be the peaceful protest that you think it will be. I wouldn’t take a child.

They might give you a rosy glow or a feeling of righteousness

I have never felt this, or even hoped to feel this, while at any kind of demonstration, for any cause.

In honesty it feels fairly futile because the people who have the power appear not to be making the right decisions because they are more interested in short-term profit.

But it does raise public awareness of climate change and encourages people to care. It encourages people to think about what they are buying and how they are voting. It plays a part in holding our own government to account.

Please read this post, please ignore the right wing press, most XR folks I know are older, retired professionals who are desperately concerned it is almost too late for the rest of us. They are out there taking part in non violent resistance in order to get the urgent message across to help the younger generations x

I think your opening line says it all about your knowledge on what they are even protesting "some sort of earth day"
How do you plan on using the protest to educate your child when you don't even know what they are doing it for??? Madness!

Think about how discombobulating it is forxa little person to be amongst crowds of people. I am 5' 1" and believe me, in the rush hour, i am barely seen and find being at arm-pit level in hundreds of people walking in different directions is no fun.
The organisations attending may have a 'no violence or gluing ourselves to things' policy gor the demo, but there will always be the 'flying pickets' who just go to cause trouble.
Don't put a 6yo through a long tedious day so you can virtue signal. This is your ideal, not your child's.

FFS! Have you been living under a rock OP???? ER are not exactly know for 'peaceful protests' 🤦‍♀️

Give your head a wobble!

Yeah, make sure you take your superglue to stick your DD to the road.