Extinction Rebellion York’s Rally for Support Steps up a Gear
This weekend will see the York branch of the international movement Extinction Rebellion stepping up their efforts to engage the people of York in their fight to halt climate change. The group will be hanging an enormous 3m by 6m banner at several key locations within the city, calling on its residents to take action. The massive banner will be on display at various sites including Clifford’s Tower, Scarborough Bridge and the University of York, where people will be invited to an Extinction Rebellion York open event at 5pm-6pm on Tuesday 8 October in P/L/001 (the Physics Department) at the University of York, entitled ‘The Secret Life of Extinction Rebellion York’.
The move comes just days before the international group plan to stage a massive non-violent direct action protest in London. Members of the group will be heading to Westminster by bus or train for the start of the rebellion on Monday 7 October. For those who are staying in York, meetings and actions will continue locally.
Coordinator of Extinction Rebellion York, Merry Dickinson, commented: “We’re calling on the people of York to join us in making our voices heard on climate justice, whether you have been directly affected by flooding locally, or you are a sympathiser.” She added: “Yes we are heading to the University to speak with some of the students, but the Extinction Rebellion York group is made up of a broad range of people from different backgrounds, teachers, businesses, senior citizens and many more. Our message to all is: ‘No shame, no blame - we’re in this together, so let’s unite as a community and make sure our call for help is heard.”
Anyone wishing to join the group heading to the capital should contact the co-ordinators on xryork@gmail.com, via their Facebook page at Extinction Rebellion York or via Twitter @xr_york as soon as possible. Meanwhile, locally the group is also seeking to welcome more members and can be contacted as above or at the Tuesday 7pm meetings based at Spark, 17-21 Piccadilly, York.
Editor’s Notes
Extinction Rebellion York is a regional branch of the international movement Extinction Rebellion, which uses non-violent civil disobedience in an attempt to halt mass extinction and minimise the risk of social collapse in the face of an unprecedented global climate and ecological emergency.
Extinction Rebellion uses non-violent direct action to persuade governments to act justly and has three demands within the UK:
- Tell the truth - The government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
- Act Now - The government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
- Beyond Politics - The government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.
Further info
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the United Nations body for assessing the science related to climate change. Read their Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C:
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is the intergovernmental body which assesses the state of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services it provides to society, in response to requests from decision makers. Read their media release on accelerating species extinction rates:
https://www.ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment
Following the declaration of a climate emergency by the City of York Council on 21st March 2019, a Demand a Future forum event, including a People’s Assembly, was held on 21st June 2019. The event was attended by over 400 people representing a broad spectrum of the York community, and at the People’s Assembly a Mandate for Change was produced. The mandate was presented to the City of York Council on 27th June by Extinction Rebellion York and sets out a vision of some of the ways in which the city can achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Read the mandate and find further information here: