Extinction Rebellion Stages Huge Die-In At Natural History Museum

Extinction Rebellion

The Extinction Rebellion movement staged a gigantic die-in under the blue whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum on Monday. The crowd included over 100 supporters as the protest past its second week.

Civil disobedience is important to show this is an emergency – Greta Thunberg

A performance to classical music on the steps beneath the skeleton was the rallying point of the demonstration. .

Over 1,000 people have been arrested during a week of climate change events in London. Waterloo Bridge was reopened today having been occupied by Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists since last Monday, Scotland Yard said a “robust policing plan” was in place for the demonstration. However, the force has faced criticism from former Metropolitan police commissioners and former home secretary David Blunkett for failing to take a tougher line with demonstrators, and for allowing the disruption to persist. After watching the Met handle this peaceful protest we feel it was dealt with in a fair way, without violence. Who cares what David Blunkett thinks anyway. He’s a redundant former Home office Minister who like Tony Blair accomplished nothing for climate change in his days in power.

Greta Thunberg, 16, a teenage environmental activist has urged British politicians to “listen to the scientists” on climate change. She stated in a speech that she did not expect to change their minds single-handedly, saying: “We need to do that together.” The Swedish teenager, who inspired the school climate strikes movement, met with MPs and party leaders.
She also praised the work of Extinction Rebellion, as climate change protests continued into their second week. The 16-year-old was met with cheers as she walked on stage and told a crowd of hundreds that humanity was at a crossroads.

Thunberg added; “I support Extinction Rebellion. What they are doing is good. Civil disobedience is important to show this is an emergency. We need to do everything we can to put pressure on the people in power,” she told the audience on Monday, prompting cheers and applause.

“Why study for a future that is being taken from us? Why study for facts when facts don’t matter in this society? It’s empowering to know I am doing something, I am taking a stand, I am disrupting.”

Members of XR are suggesting temporarily ending disruptive tactics to focus on political negotiations as they enter the eighth day of campaigning.

A spokesman said there would be no escalation of activity on Easter Monday, but warned that the disruption could get “much worse” if politicians are not open to their negotiation requests.

Extinction Rebellion Say on their website:

Human activity is causing irreparable harm to the life on this world. A mass extinction event, only the sixth in roughly 540 million years, is underway. Many current life forms could be annihilated or at least committed to extinction by the end of this century. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the earth we plant in, the food we eat, and the beauty and diversity of nature that nourishes our psychological well-being, all are being corrupted and compromised by the political and economic systems that promote and support our modern, consumer-focused lifestyles.

We must act while we still can. What we are seeing now is nothing compared to what could come.

Effects on global human society, if the climate and ecological emergency is not addressed, may spiral out of control.

Sea level rise
Desertification
Wildfires
Water shortage
Crop failure
Extreme weather
Millions displaced
Disease
Increased risk of wars and conflicts, but our leaders are failing in their duty to act on our behalf. Our current systems of governance is compromised by a focus on profits and economic growth. Politicians can be influenced by lobbies of powerful corporations and the media are hampered by the vested interest of corporate advertisers undermining our democratic values.

We have run out of the luxury of time to react incrementally.

We must radically and immediately begin reducing emissions and improving carbon absorption, drawing it down and locking it up again.

Only a peaceful planet-wide mobilisation of the scale of World War II will give us a chance to avoid the worst-case scenarios and restore a safe climate

The task before us is daunting but big changes have happened before.

Let’s make a better world.

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