SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Demonstrators with the global Extinction Rebellion movement block a street in November 2018. (Photo: Julia Hawkins/Flickr/cc)
'Despair Ends and Tactics Begin': Extinction Rebellion Aims to Shut Down Brisbane With Mass Civil Disobedience
"Our rebellion must happen to disrupt the business as usual of a system that is accelerating the existential threat."
Aug 05, 2019
On the heels of the hottest month in recorded history, activists with the global Extinction Rebellion movement are planning to grind the city of Brisbane, Australia to a halt Tuesday to pressure political leaders to act on the climate crisis.
"The climate crisis is already affecting lives and destroying ecosystems," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement ahead of the city-wide demonstrations, which are set to kick off at 7am local time Tuesday morning (5pm ET Monday).
"Non-violent civil disobedience is morally and materially functional--it is the only option we have left to force the change that may just save us all from extinction."
--Extinction Rebellion
The group described the protests as an act of peaceful "mass civil disobedience."
"Non-violent civil disobedience is morally and materially functional--it is the only option we have left to force the change that may just save us all from extinction," said Extinction Rebellion.
Brisbane authorities are reportedly preparing for major disruptions throughout the city and warning commuters to plan for significant traffic jams.
Extinction Rebellion acknowledged its action is expected to disrupt people's day-to-day lives, but said "our rebellion must happen to disrupt the business as usual of a system that is accelerating the existential threat to all of Earth's species, including humans."
"Government and industries are continuing the destruction of our only planet," the group added.
As the Brisbane Times reported, Extinction Rebellion activists have in recent weeks "glued themselves to roads, blocked city intersections, and put a canoe on the Victoria Bridge" to demand swift and bold climate action from their political leaders.
"Despair ends and tactics begin," reads an Extinction Rebellion sign designed for the Brisbane action.
The movement's civil disobedience has gone global since 10 U.K.-based environmental activists launched the group last year.
As Common Dreams reported last month, Extinction Rebellion activists glued themselves to doorways in the halls of the U.S. Congress to disrupt votes and demand that American lawmakers declare a climate emergency.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," said one activist, "but we're not going back to business as usual until we declare a climate emergency and get climate justice for everyone, everywhere."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
On the heels of the hottest month in recorded history, activists with the global Extinction Rebellion movement are planning to grind the city of Brisbane, Australia to a halt Tuesday to pressure political leaders to act on the climate crisis.
"The climate crisis is already affecting lives and destroying ecosystems," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement ahead of the city-wide demonstrations, which are set to kick off at 7am local time Tuesday morning (5pm ET Monday).
"Non-violent civil disobedience is morally and materially functional--it is the only option we have left to force the change that may just save us all from extinction."
--Extinction Rebellion
The group described the protests as an act of peaceful "mass civil disobedience."
"Non-violent civil disobedience is morally and materially functional--it is the only option we have left to force the change that may just save us all from extinction," said Extinction Rebellion.
Brisbane authorities are reportedly preparing for major disruptions throughout the city and warning commuters to plan for significant traffic jams.
Extinction Rebellion acknowledged its action is expected to disrupt people's day-to-day lives, but said "our rebellion must happen to disrupt the business as usual of a system that is accelerating the existential threat to all of Earth's species, including humans."
"Government and industries are continuing the destruction of our only planet," the group added.
As the Brisbane Times reported, Extinction Rebellion activists have in recent weeks "glued themselves to roads, blocked city intersections, and put a canoe on the Victoria Bridge" to demand swift and bold climate action from their political leaders.
"Despair ends and tactics begin," reads an Extinction Rebellion sign designed for the Brisbane action.
The movement's civil disobedience has gone global since 10 U.K.-based environmental activists launched the group last year.
As Common Dreams reported last month, Extinction Rebellion activists glued themselves to doorways in the halls of the U.S. Congress to disrupt votes and demand that American lawmakers declare a climate emergency.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," said one activist, "but we're not going back to business as usual until we declare a climate emergency and get climate justice for everyone, everywhere."
On the heels of the hottest month in recorded history, activists with the global Extinction Rebellion movement are planning to grind the city of Brisbane, Australia to a halt Tuesday to pressure political leaders to act on the climate crisis.
"The climate crisis is already affecting lives and destroying ecosystems," Extinction Rebellion said in a statement ahead of the city-wide demonstrations, which are set to kick off at 7am local time Tuesday morning (5pm ET Monday).
"Non-violent civil disobedience is morally and materially functional--it is the only option we have left to force the change that may just save us all from extinction."
--Extinction Rebellion
The group described the protests as an act of peaceful "mass civil disobedience."
"Non-violent civil disobedience is morally and materially functional--it is the only option we have left to force the change that may just save us all from extinction," said Extinction Rebellion.
Brisbane authorities are reportedly preparing for major disruptions throughout the city and warning commuters to plan for significant traffic jams.
Extinction Rebellion acknowledged its action is expected to disrupt people's day-to-day lives, but said "our rebellion must happen to disrupt the business as usual of a system that is accelerating the existential threat to all of Earth's species, including humans."
"Government and industries are continuing the destruction of our only planet," the group added.
As the Brisbane Times reported, Extinction Rebellion activists have in recent weeks "glued themselves to roads, blocked city intersections, and put a canoe on the Victoria Bridge" to demand swift and bold climate action from their political leaders.
"Despair ends and tactics begin," reads an Extinction Rebellion sign designed for the Brisbane action.
The movement's civil disobedience has gone global since 10 U.K.-based environmental activists launched the group last year.
As Common Dreams reported last month, Extinction Rebellion activists glued themselves to doorways in the halls of the U.S. Congress to disrupt votes and demand that American lawmakers declare a climate emergency.
"Sorry for the inconvenience," said one activist, "but we're not going back to business as usual until we declare a climate emergency and get climate justice for everyone, everywhere."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.