XR calling a halt to its ‘disruptive’ protests...for now
EXTincTiOn Rebellion last night pledged to halt controversial protests which disrupt the public as the eco-zealots vowed to prioritise ‘relationships over roadblocks’.
in a statement headlined ‘We Quit’, the climate group confirmed it would ‘temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic’.
A spokesman told the Mail that its actions had ‘alienated’ some members of the public and that it wanted to try a ‘different approach’ for now. But the group also called for 100,000 people to surround the Houses of Parliament after ‘multiple crises’ have made this the ‘time to seize the moment’.
in its invitation for protesters to converge on Westminster from April 21, it said: ‘Surrounding the Houses of Parliament day after day in large numbers means we can leave the locks, glue and paint behind and instead demonstrate faith in a critical mass of people to create a moment that’s impossible to ignore.’
And last night fellow eco-warriors Just Stop Oil insisted they would continue their own demonstrations which have involved damaging famous artworks and blocking motorways. The group’s protests have seen 138 of its supporters sent to prison since it was set up by former Extinction Rebellion (XR) organisers in February last year.
in a statement which likened its members to striking nHS workers, Just Stop Oil said: ‘it’s 2023 and XR has quit... We must move from disobedience into civil resistance – that is what nurses and paramedics are doing.’
Founded in Stroud, Gloucestershire, in October 2018, XR quickly made headlines by blocking major roads and disrupting public transport.
The groups also work together on some demonstrations, with protesters from both organisations disrupting an energy awards ceremony in Aberdeen last month.
XR’s statement read: ‘ This year, we prioritise attendance over arrest and relationships over roadblocks, as we stand together and become impossible to ignore.
‘As we ring in the new year, we make a controversial resolution to temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic.
‘We recognise and celebrate the power of disruption to raise the alarm and believe that constantly evolving tactics is a necessary approach.’