REMORSE OF ECO ZEALOT
She weeps at hearing protest meant son couldn’t reach father’s bedside before he died ... but insists ‘we’re doing right thing’
A MAN was unable to say goodbye to his dying father after an Extinction Rebellion road-block left him stuck in traffic for three hours. He received an early-morning call telling him that his dad did not have long to live.
So he left his home in Thornbury, South Gloucestershire, at around 6.20am on Wednesday to travel to Bristol Royal Infirmary.
The journey is around 14 miles and ordinarily would take around 30 minutes to complete.
But the man, who has asked not to be named, became stuck in traffic as Extinction Rebellion protesters glued themselves to a bathtub on one of Bristol’s busiest roads.
As a result he did not make it to the city’s central hospital until 9.15am – one hour after his father was sadly pronounced dead.
The heartbroken man told his devastating story during a live call-in on BBC Radio Bristol, but asked that his interview was not repeated as it was too upsetting for him and his family. Presenter John Darvall, who took the call, said it was the ‘most moving’ one he had ever taken.
Listeners said they were ‘haunted’ by the listener’s story and called on the climate change activists to end their demonstrations. And when a recording of the call was played to members of Extinction Rebellion, one, Zoe Jones, broke down in tears on camera, telling a reporter: ‘ We’re incredibly sorry. We didn’t mean for our protest to affect your life in this way.’ But she continued: ‘I still believe we are doing the right thing. But it is incredibly difficult to hear stories like that.
‘I guess the reason why we’re all here is for our families and I shouldn’t be here, I shouldn’t be standing in the road stopping people from getting to hospital to see their aged father who is on death’s door. This shouldn’t be happening. But we are here and this is the reality and we need to be here.’
Many viewers of the interview filmed by the radio station slammed Miss Jones’s ‘crocodile tears’ and called for her and fellow protesters to leave the area.
The tragic story came on Wednesday morning as Extinction Rebellion activists entered their third day of protests in the city.
They surprised police by arriving at the end of the city’s M32 motorway – stopping cars from getting into the city via one of the busiest routes. It caused hours of tailbacks across the city and beyond as thousands tried to make their way to work and school.
Yesterday Avon and Somerset Police announced 16 people had been charged with wilfully obstructing a public highway. All 16 are due to appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court today. Dozens more were arrested at the scene, before being ‘ de-arrested’. Presenter Mr Darvall tweeted after the upsetting exchange: ‘I’ve been doing this job a long time and it was the most moving call I have taken in many years. Actions have consequences, always.’
One listener replied: ‘I hope Extinction Rebellion reflects that the very real and immediate human consequences of their actions risk distracting from the important message that they hope to communicate.’
Andrew Darnton, of Extinction Rebellion, wrote: ‘I’d like to ask his forgiveness, what a poor situation to be in. I can’t imagine what he went through for three hours. I think lots of people were stuck there for three hours today. It’s horrible, it’s horrible.’
Fellow protester Amelia Twine added: ‘I’m so sorry that he had to go through that, I feel absolutely awful on his behalf. But I think until the Government take action, the disruption has to continue because the alternative is so much worse. There will be death on such an enormous scale.’
In a statement posted on its Facebook page, Extinction Rebellion Bristol said: ‘We’re very sorry for the immense disruption that we caused to Bristol residents.
‘Some have not only been inconvenienced but have also been deeply impacted on a personal and emotional level, and it really saddens us.’
But the group insisted: ‘Despite this, we were there to cause disruption because our government isn’t acting on the climate and ecological crisis.
‘And it is a crisis – that has very real and immediate human consequences. We are bringing awareness that worldwide, climate breakdown is hugely affecting lives on an unimaginable scale. Hundreds of thousands of lives are being destroyed by famine, droughts, rising sea levels, flash floods and increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather disasters.
‘Here in the UK tens of thousands of people die from air pollution alone each year. Yet, despite knowing the facts for over three decades, Government hasn’t acted on the climate catastrophe and has failed to protect us all. We’d prefer to not have to create any disruption at all. Unfortunately this is our last chance to save humanity from extinction.’
The group also claimed to have helped clear the way for a woman in labour to safely reach hospital.
‘We didn’t mean to affect your life in this way’ ‘The disruption has to continue’