Extinction Rebellion

• 1. Founding And Origins

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  Gail Bradbrook, Roger Hallam, Simon Bramwell, and Stuart Basden gathered in the town of Stroud during April 2018 to draft a set of goals for a new movement. They drew inspiration from historical groups like the suffragettes and the civil rights movement while planning their first actions. The group officially launched on the 31st of October 2018 with an event called the Declaration of Rebellion outside the UK Parliament. Earlier that month, about one hundred academics signed a public call to action supporting the nascent organization. Their first major physical action involved occupying London Greenpeace offices on the 17th of October 2018 before the official launch. In November 2018, five bridges across the River Thames were blockaded as a direct protest against government inaction.

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• 2. Tactics And Disruption

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  Extinction Rebellion employs mass arrest as a core strategy to generate attention by wasting police time and disrupting daily life. Co-founder Roger Hallam stated that letters and emails do not work and that they need about two to three thousand people to be arrested to force change. During the April 2019 protests in London, there were 1130 arrests made within a single week. A second wave of actions in October 2019 resulted in 1832 arrests under the banner of International Rebellion. Activists have been known to climb oil tankers or anchor themselves to structures to prevent fuel transport. In June 2024, activists ran onto a golf course during the PGA Tour's Travelers Championship while spraying green grass with orange powder. The movement uses a stylized circled hourglass symbol to warn that time is running out for many species.

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• 3. Organizational Structure

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  The group operates as a loosely networked decentralized grassroots movement with largely autonomous local groups forming its bulk capacity. Anyone who takes action in pursuit of XR's three goals and adheres to its ten principles can claim to act in the name of Extinction Rebellion. Local groups are generally based around specific geographical areas such as suburbs or cities but often collaborate on larger actions. The movement organizes around affinity groups and utilizes a structure called holacracy to operate effectively against state opposition. Specialized wings include Doctors for XR which supports actions by health professionals warning about climate effects on human health. XR Youth formed by July 2019 centers on consideration of the Global South and indigenous peoples with an average age of 16. Christian Climate Action has a membership of more than 1000 people including those taking direct action.

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• 4. Public Reception And Polls

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  A YouGov poll conducted on the 15th of October 2019 found that 54% of British adults strongly opposed or somewhat opposed actions aiming to shut down London. In September 2021, another YouGov survey asked 3,296 British adults where 49% responded very negative or fairly negative toward the group. Support fluctuated significantly during the first two days of the mid-April London occupation when a study of 1539 participants showed 46% supported the rebellion. The protests on the 17th of April had blocked access to means of transport including buses which alienated many travelers. Extinction Rebellion's 2019 protests cost the Metropolitan Police an extra £7.5 million in operational expenses. Despite high visibility, critics argue the movement alienates potential supporters through its disruptive methods.

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• 5. Criticism And Controversy

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  Former spokesperson Zion Lights later became a critic arguing that the group emphasizes symbolic proposals rather than practical measures to reduce emissions. Ben Smoke wrote for The Guardian that mass arrest tactics undermine the negative experiences of incarceration on Black Asian and minority ethnic people in the UK. George Monbiot stated that Extinction Rebellion is too white and too middle class to effectively represent all communities. A report called Extremism Rebellion by Policy Exchange claimed the organization seeks the breakdown of liberal democracy and the rule of law. Sherrie Yeomans accused the group of being a manipulative cult while Jutta Ditfurth labeled it a doomsday cult with members blindly following esoteric gurus. In September 2024 activists covered the Finnish Parliament House in red paint which may not be able to be removed without damage.

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• 6. Legal Challenges And Prosecutions

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  Roger Hallam received a suspended two year sentence in April 2024 for attempting to block Heathrow Airport with drones. He was convicted of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance in July 2024 after blocking the M25 motorway and sentenced to five years imprisonment. During June and July 2019 some supporters arrested in April appeared in court where a 68-year-old protester was convicted of breaching a section 14 order. On the 16th of November 2023 a jury acquitted nine members who had caused criminal damage to HSBC bank windows two years prior. The Police Crime Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 took recommendations directly from a 2019 report by Policy Exchange calling for criminalization of strategies. Between 2015 and 2022 thirty-two individuals were referred to the Prevent strategy for Left Wing Environmental reasons.

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• 7. Media And Cultural Impact

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  Analysis of October 2019 International Rebellion indicates the movement was mentioned more than 70,000 times in online media reports. A documentary entitled Rebellion released on UK Netflix in 2021 looked behind the scenes of Extinction Rebellion and its creators. The Hourglass newspaper printed 110,000 copies in Issue 1 edited by Zion Lights during September 2019. Michael Stipe donated all profits from his debut solo single Your Capricious Soul to Extinction Rebellion groups. Films like Guardians of Life raised funds for Amazon Watch and Extinction Rebellion while featuring celebrities such as Emma Thompson. Dávid Szőke and Sándor Kiss criticized these films for redirecting attention to celebrity status rather than ecological solutions.

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