The International Rebellion has begun! Across the world, activists are making their moves, and stepping away from fear and hopelessness. By taking action together, in well-organised peaceful civil resistance, we intend to compel governments to take action on the climate emergency.
The number one principle of Extinction Rebellion is creating a world fit for generations to come. Our children, our grandchildren, and their grandchildren, want a liveable planet, and a climate that is stable, rather than dangerously chaotic. We can only do this by immediate action to reduce our emissions, and by finding ways to draw down carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Today, April 15th, on the first day of the worldwide International Rebellion in Adelaide, our activists g
o to the heart of our democracy, our parliament, to bring this message home. A small team of activists – mostly grandparents – have infiltrated parliament, and occupied the House of Assembly, to tell heartfelt stories of our grandchildren – and the lives we know will face them – in a world of runaway global warming. Not one of us would hesitate to save a child drowning in a dam, but yet we do nothing while generations of children are condemned to dangerously hot summers, mass species extinction, and the collapse of our food systems.
We will not endanger our parliamentary representatives – even though they endanger us with their inaction on this emergency. As one of our three core Extinction Rebellion demands, we want government to tell the truth about the horrific futures that await if we do not take action now. Extinction Rebellion is a movement of concerned citizens, who have had enough with democracies which serve only the wealthy and multinational companies. Everyone – even Exxon Mobil and Shell executives – needs a safe and stable climate.
In support of this small team of activists in parliament there will be a much larger crowd of rebels in Rundle Mall, telling the sa
me stories to our fellow citizens, and disrupting the everyday silence around this threat to our existence. Brandishing photos of our children, our grandchildren, our nieces and nephews, we want to tell everyone about our fears for their future, and our hopes for the action we can take. When you see us and hear us – do not turn away! Your children, your grandchildren, cannot escape this fate. We are all affected by this calamity. All we can do is stand together and force our governments to take action.
What will you tell your children in future years?
Will you stand by and do nothing, while our leaders guide us into disaster?
Indi, Action and Logistics, XRSA
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