Last year they tried blockading oil terminals, so the government added a new law making that punishable by a year in prison and an unlimited fine.
I think their current approach is just to protest absolutely anywhere they can, because from their point of view, nobody older than thirty gives a fuck about them or their future.
Valid point. I guess I’m just venting about how extreme actions seem to be the only way to get the govt. to listen, not that they’ll actually lift a bloody finger.
I am absolutely in favour of direct action, things are way past the point where non-disruptive protest has been shown to be totally ineffective.
I do think though that there needs to be a huge drive towards making ordinary people far more aware of just how much the oil companies knew about the effect of CO2 emissions on the climate almost half a century ago, and the enormous amounts of money and effort that have been poured into manufacturing the false impression of a divided scientific consensus on climate change.
Without that, just ramming it down people’s throats that we’re fucked unless we act now, what you get back is “I know, but what am I supposed to do about it?”
First priority should be to get average people angry at the damned lying bastard oil companies, their lobbyists and their willing stooges and useful idiots in politics and the media. Make people aware that in 1977 Exxon made a totally conscious, calculated decision to deprive your kids and grandkids of the very future that you’re working your arses off to provide for them, that makes you too busy to have the time or energy to care about the climate.
Then once you’ve got people as righteously furious as they damned well should be about that, turn the focus of the campaign towards demanding climate reparations. Show people that it’s not about making you feel guilty for not being able to afford an electric car, it’s about the unimaginable billions of ill gotten profits that should’ve been poured into decarbonising the global economy for the last 50 years.
[Content warning – discussion of suicide]
Unfortunately, I see more effective and memorable shocking “stunts” than this going forward: specifically people commiting suicide publicly to protest inaction from governments and malfeasance from corporations as the climate emergency gets worse.
World Snooker Championship?
Was it aired on ESPN 8 the Ocho?
Snooker was originally put on the BBC by David Attenborough to promote colour television.
He might approve of this protest under the circumstances.
Oh wow that’s not what I expected to learn today. Thanks for reminding me why I still come here.
This wins the thread but most people here won’t understand why.
Yah, honestly, I’m with you. All the pearl clutching about how folks like this aren’t protesting politely enough, tactically correctly, or otherwise incorrectly has become irrelevant, IMHO. It’s life or death for anyone under 40 and anything that has any chance of getting people to give a goddam fuck is okay by me. As to the complaints of “oh well they’re angering the wrong people”, everyone needs to be angry. That’s the point. This idea that you can politely write to your congressperson or whatever about how the planet is being murdered is a nice idea that isn’t working. Let’s try crazy shit because there’s nothing left to lose. We’ve missed 1.5 and 2.0 is looming. 2.5 is the end of everything.
Carry on gluing yourselves to art, kids. We’ve tried everything else, honestly.
Yep, though personally if I was going to go to that much effort, it would be to get a “Exxon knew about climate change in 1977” banner on TV. Or just #ExxonKnew
In a move that may set one set of protestors against another, although there is probably crossover in mdembership/alliance.
You win.
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