# Robin Boardman > Hi I'm Robin. I'm a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, languages student and rebel. I write about social change to help make big dreams happen. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### About me URL: https://robinboardman.com/about/ Last updated: 2025-10-18T18:06:54.000Z Hi, I’m Robin **👋** I helped lead a campaign which got the University of Bristol to fully divest from fossil fuels. After this win, I felt the codes of social change within my grasp. I decided to suspend my studies in Spanish and Portuguese and focus on activism. Since then, I have gone on a 2-week hunger strike against the Heathrow Airport Expansion (VoteNoHeathrow), coordinated Communities and Operations at XR and been a spokesperson on various outlets such as the BBC, LBC and famously, Sky News. Since May 2020, I have suffered from the chronic Long Covid symptoms of headaches and fatigue. Never to be beaten, I now focus my time more on research whilst I slowly recover. My current mission is to make even the driest scholarly articles about civil resistance, community organising and climate breakdown into accessible resources for social change. I'm particularly interested in supporting other young people on this journey. I might even join them on TikTok to do it **😉** I love to write stories and to empower others. There is nothing like seeing someone's despair ignite into a fulfilling passion. To that end, all my content is freely available. If you want to support my work, please consider dropping me a regular donation. With donations, I can write more, research further, and hopefully turn my passionate volunteering into a living. Or just enjoy the resources here for free and drop me a message on robin@rev21.earth or on social media if you have any questions **😊** Homepage art by the fantastic [Amelia Halls.](https://www.instagram.com/amshalls/?ref=robinboardman.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/05/me-and-angelo-1.jpg) ### Contact URL: https://robinboardman.com/contact/ Last updated: 2025-10-18T18:05:31.000Z You can email me at robin@rev21.earth or drop me a dm on social media. - [@RobinBoardmanUK ](https://twitter.com/robinboardmanuk?ref=robinboardman.com)on Twitter - [@RobinBoardmanUK](https://www.facebook.com/RobinBoardmanUK/) on Facebook - [@RobinBoardman](https://www.instagram.com/robinboardman/?ref=robinboardman.com) on Instagram ### Welcome Aboard!🥳 URL: https://robinboardman.com/welcome-2/ Last updated: 2023-09-30T11:44:24.000Z You’re going to be getting the installments of this new newsletter, for free, in your inbox. I hope it’s helpful—I’m aware you’ve got enough to read, and I don’t want to add unnecessarily to the pile. So I’ll try not to abuse the privilege of being connected up. You don’t need to pay to subscribe—this is a crisis, information is important, and everyone should be able to get it. But to be honest I hope you will give a little—it’s £5 a month, and that money lets me keep doing what I’m doing, both as a writer and as a volunteer organizer at Extinction Rebellion. If you decide to pay the toll, a couple of perks come your way. Once it's ready, I’ll mail out each week a new chunk of my novel. I’m interested to see if perhaps this might be a good moment for 18th-century style serializing of novels, since my attention span, anyway, seems shorter than it used to. Anyway, I’m glad you’re here, and on we go! A few bits of internet housekeeping: **Save my newsletter sender address:** robin@robinboardman.com **([*here's how*](https://www.howtogeek.com/290046/how-to-stop-legitimate-emails-from-getting-marked-as-spam/?ref=robinboardman.com))** **Please feel free to reply to my newsletters** or comment on the articles with questions, feedback or to connect our work for change. ### Micro-Blog / Live Updates URL: https://robinboardman.com/micro-blog/ Last updated: 2023-10-05T08:56:51.000Z [Tweets by RobinBoardmanUK](https://twitter.com/RobinBoardmanUK?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) [Follow @RobinBoardmanUK](https://twitter.com/RobinBoardmanUK?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) ### Thank you so much! Welcome Aboard🥳 URL: https://robinboardman.com/thank-you-so-much-welcome-aboard/ Last updated: 2023-10-05T14:28:52.000Z I'm touched that you decided to donate to my fledgling blog. It bolsters my spirit to go on and write. To tell the tale of my struggles and my victories. Now I feel you close alongside me for that journey. As we tumble deeper into collapse, we need these close connections to support a community of resistance. One that sees the truth of our demise and yet gives and gives to salvage our future. That giving is exciting, it's throwing our all in for life. Anyway, that's my gratitude spiel! I could go on forver but now you'll get plenty of that in my newsletters. I hope you enjoy them —I’m aware you’ve got enough to read, and I don’t want to add unnecessarily to the pile. So I’ll try not to abuse the privilege of being connected up. Anyway, I’m glad you’re here, and on we go! A few bits of internet housekeeping: **Save my newsletter sender address:** robin@robinboardman.com **([*here's how*](https://www.howtogeek.com/290046/how-to-stop-legitimate-emails-from-getting-marked-as-spam/?ref=robinboardman.com))** **Please feel free to reply to my newsletters** or comment on the articles with questions, feedback or to connect our work for change. ## Posts ### ↘️ Descending URL: https://robinboardman.com/descending/ Last updated: 2026-07-03T11:39:48.000Z ![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/media/2026/07/descending_thumb.jpg) Descending - Narrated 0:00 /338.964898 1× Around me, the vibrations of organic techno soothe my body. As I lift up my heavy eyelids from a migraine, a festival is under construction. Fluorescent colours, spray paint and a giant jellyfish fill my vision. I am waking from a migraine in a community centre. This is a big deal for me. For years I have locked myself away whi le in chronic pain, fearing to be vulnerable in new spaces, struggling to ask for help with what I want in life. I was either housebound or a tag-along. How could I make plans beyond my house when I couldn't count on my body to make it? During intense times, a week can pass before I go for a walk again. My motto has been to plan optimistically and be realistic in the moment. Plan when you can for what you want to do and see how your energy is on the day. Sadly, with chronic fatigue and migraines, I've learned that my energy is often too low for a lot of activities, and I ended up disappointed. But what if I could ask for help, get a wheelchair and have a carer to guide me through the pell-mell of a city? That's when I decided to be more vulnerable in public. To trust my friends to keep me safe, and to be able to show my emotions and weaknesses publicly. To teach others about the crippling effects of illness and how people are managing it. I've learnt so much online, like from the great disability influencers Zara Beth and Chronically Jenni. Now it's time to put their skills to the test. To plan, perchance to dream. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/06/me-ill-1.jpg) ## Sign up for Round Robin Hi, I'm Robin. I'm a revolutionary living with disability. I write about my journey to help process the loss and connect with a community that can inspire me to keep going. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. So I got a wheelchair, first from the trash of a second-hand shop (in fine fettle as you can imagine, lovingly sprayed gold by friends), then I made the £100 investment to get a basic model that, while better, still doesn't really fit me or give me the motorised independence I want but can get me around with a helper. It's uncomfortable and strange, but at least now I can plan again! One of the first wishes of my new freedom was to ask for a lift to the beach. To feel the open wind and expand my vision beyond the pains of my mortal coil into the wide stretch of a wine-dark ocean. The release of being in an open space is huge. The sunshine kissing me back into life like a loved one on my forehead. I am but one small speck in a vast and magnificent world. A bacterium in the earth's body. Tiny, almost insignificant. But not quite. Still, I have a soul; I have a fundamental essence that holds me as part of my surroundings. Slowly my worries fade into the spaciousness of this meditation. To [live and breathe is enough](https://robinboardman.com/90-degrees-down/) to put a smile on my face. With that joy as my fuel, I start to plan further. To look beyond the comfortable and confront the necessary. In my case, it was a visa appointment I had missed three times. It will be hard, but possible. Fast-forward a few weeks of planning, and there I was at Utrecht Station, on my way back from the immigration centre, with the temporary residence stamp secured. My carer pushed me along the platform and lovingly insisted I put on my headphones to block out the commotion. The trains were cancelled, and Dutchies filled the platform like miserable fans after a lost match. At that moment, in sweltering heat and crowds, I faded into a migraine. I drifted in and out of consciousness throughout the journey home, clasping my hands, practising square breathing and listening to a joyous fantasy book. I held myself together. My anxieties of such weakness, fears of danger and disability kept at bay. As we exited at the station, we discovered that the lift was out of order. In my aura (post-migraine distortions), I couldn't walk properly. A dilemma many disabled people face. We rolled to the platform stairs and planned to take it slow, huddling together like penguins for strength. Yet as we began to descend, the heavens opened up. Rain, hail, thunder poured down in a tempest. I started to slip. Bystanders offered to help, shouting in the storm; my carer laughed in the madness of it. I held on so tight to the handrail and consciousness, scared of losing control. As I rested on my sofa later, reflecting on this moment, a deep sadness struck me. Like a blow to the stomach. This is what it feels like to be disabled in a climate event. A small taster of the vulnerability, the risk. It's hard to keep pushing myself to get out, to this colourful community centre, to appointments, but I will keep trying because I have the will to be part of this beautiful cosmos, the hope to believe in improvement, and a drive to protect the vulnerable from suffering. Onward. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/07/4f0f512e-f54d-476c-9c66-af27efd7b5b5-1.jpg) At my desk with a new microphone and typewriter. A happy bean. I'm excited to now bring you audio versions of my blog with a swish secondhand microphone. If you can donate a tip to help me fund this and my writing, that would be really appreciated. [Donate](#/portal/support) I have also created [a list of books](https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/robinb?ref=robinboardman.com) that have moved me on Bookshop UK - a supporter of local bookshops to break the Amazon monopoly. Check them out. If you fancy one, buy it there, and I will get a 10% tip. Little helping hands like this help me keep writing. Thanks! ### 🛌 90 Degrees Down: A New Perspective URL: https://robinboardman.com/90-degrees-down/ Last updated: 2026-06-26T18:10:30.000Z ![audio-thumbnail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/media/2026/06/90-degrees-down_thumb.png) 90 Degrees Down Narration 0:00 /343.341859 1× I belong to that strange strain of humanity that spends a lot of time horizontal. By simply rotating down that 90-degree angle, life's possibilities flounder. I become flaky, distant, and unavailable. My dreams as a young founder begin to wither—the revolution, travelling, starting a family. Why? Because I am one of those countless millions of people who live with a disability—specifically chronic migraines and fatigue. Let me try to paint a picture of that for you: you know that fever you had a few years ago, that banging head after drinking too much alcohol, that acid trip that went a bit bad? Imagine having a bit of all of them, every day. Off work sick, forever—that's my full-time occupation. Mainly, it has crushed any hopes of a routine beyond the basics of eating, listening and sleeping. Some days are like the first flush of a fever. Others are endless hangovers. As people know this about me, they are less likely to make plans and come to expect slow or strange replies, rarely with good news. Yet some, especially in my local student commune, hold me deeply with sensitivity and understanding, catering to my needs and quirks. They help me to get outside again and shake the various shackles of dependency. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/06/image-1.png) Out at the beach with the help of a sand wheelchair. A great invention! This then is my full-time job: managing crippling pain and organising care. In the brighter moments, I will be able to go out, write something, call a friend. But there is only one person who has regularly called me to see how I am for six years: my partner. Most other connections have sadly withered with my body and mind. My soul perseveres, trapped. Waiting for a cure or miracle to unleash its full splendour. I know the feeling of being trapped is not unique to my disability. Recently, I watched a charming British film called *Breathe* (2017) about mid-century polio patients. Many were trapped together in beds or coffin-like iron lungs for life until this crip chap, Robin Cavendish (also a Robin, also 28), came along with the courage to risk his own life in order to live a better one. He suggested the risky step of attaching a clunky ventilator to his wheelchair to regain some mobility. With the help of his rebellious wife and a doctor, he invented a way to transport polio patients, allowing them to live fuller, richer lives. Despite his innovations, many patients were still locked away, so he became an advocate for their rights. In the film, he gives a passionate, shocking speech directly confronting the medical establishment, asking: *"Why do you keep your disabled people in prisons?"* He helped fundamentally change their experience of life by pushing for mobility aids. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/06/image.png) Robin Cavendish was paralysed from the neck down after contracting polio at the age of 28. That story brings me endless inspiration in my trapped moments. First, I focus on getting through the initial stabbing pain of a migraine in the temple—slowing down my breath and meditating on the feeling of it coming in and out. As the mindfulness teacher, Vidyamala Burch, says, even if I can only appreciate the feeling of my breath in this moment, that's enough to be alive and present. Eventually, I can begin to take in the first sights of life again, the joy of watching clouds scud or the patter of rain through my window. Or as Virginia Woolf says in her essay [*On Being Ill*,](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781916809796?ref=robinboardman.com) "If we were all laid prone, frozen, stiff, still the sky would be experimenting with its blues and golds." Even if we are paralysed, the beauty of life continues to unfold. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/06/me-ill-1.jpg) ## Sign up for Round Robin Hi I'm Robin. I'm a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, languages student and rebel. I write about social change to help make big dreams happen. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. From that budding state of awareness, I turn to people like Robin Cavendish, Ray Charles, Rosa Luxemburg, Helen Keller, Peter Kropotkin, and the heroes in my own circles who kept fighting for a better life and world. How? By focusing on the present moment and finding where they can still thrive despite limitations. The sweet spot where one can breathe freely. And so I fight too—not with pugillism, but with each breath appreciated, each cloud admired, each plan I still dare to make. Even horizontal, I am here. And that counts. --- I'm excited to now bring you audio versions of my blog and of Roger's with a swish secondhand microphone. If you can donate a tip to help me fund this that would be really appreciated. [One off tip](#/portal/support) I have also created [a list of books](https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/robinb?ref=robinboardman.com) that have moved me on this topic on Bookshop UK, which helps support local bookshops. Check them out. If you fancy one, buy it here, and I will get a 10% tip. Little helping hands like this help me keep writing. Thanks! ### Young People, Old Peat URL: https://robinboardman.com/young-people-old-peat/ Last updated: 2026-05-28T15:53:33.000Z This week I took a coach to Friesland with students, academics and activists to discuss our precious peatlands. That might sound like a routine affair for an eco-loon like myself, but since I have been disabled for much of the past year with a neurological disorder, it was enormous. I made a plan, recruited friends to help me, and pulled a wheelchair out of the rubbish to get there. Friesland is a place of its own particular gravity. Wet, grey, flat in the particular way that feels ancient rather than empty — it has its own language, its own flag, its own stubborn, affectionate pride. The landscape is appropriately serious about rain. We had come to talk about wetlands, and the weather had not missed the memo. The symposium was held in the [Biosintrum](https://biosintrum.nl/?ref=robinboardman.com), a building made from 80% biobased materials — biomass, timber, earth. With concrete production accounting for roughly 8% of global carbon dioxide emissions,I was happy to see this relatively new building reduce its footprint.This makes it one of the most sustainable and innovative buildings in Europe and a fitting location for this event. Inside, the room held a refreshing range of people: school children, regional environmental staff, students, researchers, radicals. All of them gathered around the same strange and serious subject. Peat. A thousand years ago, half of the Netherlands was peatland. Humans, as was our habit, tried to tame it but hit a thick layer of resistance. Peatlands are slow to decompose, slow to yield, slow to forgive. They operate on timescales that make human ambition look faintly comedic. This is one of the things I love about them. The vocabulary of peat is worth dwelling on. Mire — from the Nordic mur — refers to active peatlands, still living, still accumulating. Bog, marsh, fen, peatland — these words blur and overlap depending on who is speaking and what they need to say. The headline speaker, scientist Hans Joosten, invoked philosopher Karl Popper to say that the meaning of words is less important than the concepts they're trying to reach. Facts matter. Problems matter. What you call a thing is only a handle on the thing itself. Later, he put it more simply: peatlands are what you feel they are. Their definition within wetlands is slippery, shifting depending on the depth of the peat, the width of the space, and the presence or absence of trees. These landscapes resist fixed definition. They have always been between things: between water and earth, between living and dead, between the past and a precarious present. Now, peatlands cover just 3% of the earth's land surface, yet they hold 30% of all soil carbon. The Netherlands is one of the least biodiverse countries in the European Union — and much of that loss traces back to wetland drainage and the slow dismantling of exactly these ecosystems. Across the world, we have lost or degraded [70% of wetlands since 1900](https://www.wetlands.org/?ref=robinboardman.com), at a rate three times faster than forests. An excellent introduction talk to peatlands by Re-peat founder and friend, Frankie Turk The morning was not without its difficult truths. A speaker from South Africa described how Cape Town, facing Day Zero — the point at which municipal water would simply stop — drew on mires that had sustained the region for thousands of years. The relief was real. The damage is ongoing. With this knowledge, I noticed something unseemly about the speakers, as at many of the climate conferences I know. Almost all of them tried to end on a hopeful note. The effort was visible and, I thought, often counterproductive to the devastating message of ecocide they were trying to convey. One of the most quietly radical things said all day came almost as an aside by writer and artist [Camille Sapara Barton](https://camillesaparabarton.com/?ref=robinboardman.com): that it might be better — more honest, more useful — to hold the grief collectively, without rushing to resolve it. In their new book, [Tending Grief](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781623179946?ref=robinboardman.com), they reflect on the importance of sitting in the difficulty and recognising trauma in our social movements before reaching for the solution. That is how I believe Extinction Rebellion's opening talk, Heading for Extinction, initially struck a chord: it named the failure of the last 30 years of climate work, giving space to grieve it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/05/peatland-fires.png) Peat fires are often long and hard to manage. The South African talk gave me one of those moments where you feel something obscure shifting slightly into focus. Researchers have now mapped South African peatlands for the first time, and what they found includes peats up to 45,000 years old. Bodies have been found intact within them, preserved by the chemistry of the bog, in Rwanda, England and elsewhere. These are not just ecological resources. They are cultural archives. Historical records written in compressed, waterlogged time. This is what ancient peatland shares with ancient fossil fuels: it is old accumulation. Concentrated history. The argument for protecting it is not only environmental but almost archaeological — these are things that took unimaginable patience to become what they are, and we are spending them in a historical eyeblink. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/05/image.png) A bog body. Credit: Sven Rosborn/Wikimedia Commons Lunch was made from ingredients harvested in the peatland itself. Cattail — a plant I'd never eaten before and a flavour I had no prior map for. It was the kind of meal that expands what you think food can be, which is to say, what land can offer without being ruined in the offering. There is a whole culinary culture to be rebuilt around these landscapes: not extraction, but cultivation; not ignoring them, but learning to live in symbiosis with them. New processes. New flavorscapes. Old knowledge, relearned. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/05/radical-radishes.jpg) The [Radical Radishes](https://www.instagram.com/theradicalradishes/?ref=robinboardman.com), a sustainable catering duo based in Wageningen Local food and collective meals then become part of the culture of the [ecological civilisation](https://book.ecocivilization.net/?ref=robinboardman.com) we want to build. Another part is music—we were ensconced in natural sound recordings from the peatland, beautifully remixed with a live cello and a singing performance—the calls of birds, the mutterings of farmers, the sound of wind on open wetlands. I am so excited for a new era of music that incorporates more of our natural surroundings, I like the music of rapper/zoologist [Louis VI](https://www.youtube.com/louisvi?ref=robinboardman.com) and producer [Cosmo Sheldrake](https://www.youtube.com/@CosmoSheldrake?ref=robinboardman.com). Culture and ecology, held in the same room, not as decoration for each other but as genuine partners in meaning-making. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Organising such events for Extinction Rebellion and Revolution in the 21st Century was once part of my life, and then it became part of what broke me. The large-scale logistics, the months of preparation, and the fear of unmet expectations. Burnout has a way of poisoning the things it touches, making even their memory complicated. My critical mind scanned for flaws, despite not being asked to do so. I couldn't settle into a facilitated session without wondering how I would improve it. Even when it's not my event! At least now, with self-compassion, I could remind myself that not every battle is mine to undertake, and then I could sink into the peat as the organisers wanted me to, slow and deep. I had opinions, naturally. I always do. But I could hold them lightly, as observations rather than obligations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/05/in-conference.jpg) Around 100 people gathered to talk peat Disability has its metaphors, and I am wary of overusing them. But I'll say this: there is something in the peatland's story of slow decay and decomposition that I find genuinely consoling for my own weaker state. Their decay, not their productivity, is part of their value. Their capacity to hold carbon, to hold history, to hold bodies intact across millennia, is inseparable from what they have survived and accumulated. I don't think I am broken. I think I am old soil and rotting leaves, doing what autumn does: holding on, holding in, waiting for the conditions that make spring possible. It is spring now, actually. As I write, the sun is coming through the leaves and my housemates thrill for a hotter spell ahead. I hope I can join them on those adventures, but if I can't, then I will come back to the feeling, sound and taste of the peatlands. Solid, old and hearty to keep me going for the long challenges of ecological collapse ahead. [Find out more about Re-peat](https://www.re-peat.earth/?ref=robinboardman.com) --- I helped edit and publish a new book on the climate corruption of the British state and its legal system, titled [*Suicide*](https://rev21.earth/product/suicide/?ref=robinboardman.com). It was written in prison by my co-founder, Roger Hallam, and is now out in multiple languages. Check it out! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/05/ROGER-HALLAM_SUICIDE_ADVERTS-03.png) ### 🐌 Learning to Live Slowly URL: https://robinboardman.com/learning-to-live-slowly/ Last updated: 2026-04-07T17:18:45.000Z This week, I let go of the last small thread of work I’d been holding onto with [Revolution in the 21st Century](https://rev21.earth/?ref=robinboardman.com). A few hours here and there — just enough to feel like I was still the person I used to be. Still contributing. Still part of something I’d spent years building. But my brain has shut down to that kind of work now. So I wrote a gentle goodbye email to the team, and a farewell on social media. I’m hoping that by shrinking my world — and my worries — I might give my body the space it needs to recover. Now I’m lying down with a migraine, dictating these thoughts into my phone. Speaking, in a strange way, both into the void and into the world’s largest language machine. Chronic illness takes things from you slowly, and then sometimes all at once. Work — that identity of doing and producing — was one of the last things I was still quietly clutching. Letting it go feels significant. Not just practical, but existential. Who am I, if not someone who does? What do I do when I see climate collapse unfolding across our gorgeous blue-green earth, yet live bound by these four walls? I’m still working that out. My values are the same. My love and motivation undimmed. Yet physically, I can give a lot less. So meaning has gotten smaller. More specific. I’ve started sewing again — patches, small art projects, techniques I haven’t touched since school. I bake for my housemates and neighbours. I keep the common spaces clean because I’ve noticed how much it changes the feeling of coming home to something cared for. It’s not the life I imagined for my twenties. It looks, in some ways, closer to that of a retiree. But there’s an honest craft in it. A kind of housebound purposefulness — stripped of the stereotype associations of age or gender. Just a person who happens to be home a lot, trying to make that mean something for the people around them. I hold it lightly. Some days it feels like a silver lining. Other days, it just feels like what’s left. --- The hardest part, most days, isn’t the physical limitation. It’s the relational cost. Illness makes you unpredictable. Unavailable. Hard to reach. People you love have their own rhythms — their own crises, their own windows of openness. And when your body doesn’t run on a schedule, you miss each other. You fall out of sync. So you find other ways. Letters. Voice notes. Small things made with care. Slower, more asynchronous forms of love. It’s an adjustment. And it’s ongoing. Not everyone understands. Some are drifting away. That's okay. I'm taking it [one day at a time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhWFddWz1Nk&pp=ygUgb25lIGRheSBhdCBhIHRpbWUgc2Nob29sIG9mIGxpZmU%3D&ref=robinboardman.com). --- I’m still doing EMDR therapy. Still trying to bring my nervous system somewhere closer to rest — films, audiobooks, sitting in the garden, whatever works on a given day. Still watching for those small windows of recovery, and trying not to measure my life only by their absence. Six years in, I’m not the person I was before. But I’m still here. Still finding small ways to nourish the life I actually have. Still trying to keep despair at a distance with purpose, however quiet. That feels like enough, for now. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/10/me-birthday-2.jpg) ## Sign up for Robin Boardman Hi I'm Robin. I'm a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, languages student and rebel. I write about social change to help make big dreams happen. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Share ### 🫂 A Life Reduced, Still Loved URL: https://robinboardman.com/a-life-reduced-still-loved/ Last updated: 2026-01-29T07:41:45.000Z The last few months have stripped life back to its bare essentials. At this close-to-the-bone level, I have been cut deeply by illness, exhaustion, and some very dark moments, but also touched profoundly by unexpected tenderness and the steady presence of people who refuse to let me disappear. On Christmas Day in particular, something cracked open in me. I was talking with someone I grew up with about my health and recent PTSD diagnosis, about the feeling that I failed, and continue to fail at recovery. She cried. Seeing her cry about my suffering did something profound. It made everything suddenly real. Not abstract, not something I should be “handling better”, not a private weakness I need to tidy away. Real suffering, witnessed and held by another human being. Her tears made me feel seen in a way I have not for a long time. It was beautiful. It was devastating. It softened me. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/01/st-francis-in-ecstasy.jpg-Large.png) St Francis in Ecstasy, Bellini. 1485\. Love visits my hermetic cave like a divine visitation. And then my strength disappeared. My body folded in on itself. A migraine came crashing down, brutal and disorientating, and I ended up in bed, weak, confused, losing my sense of who I am and what I can do. I tried to pull myself back together with a shower, but eventually I had to submit. An ice cap. A cup of tea brought to me by my family. Small acts of care keeping me tethered to the world. They were all around me that day. So warm. So loving. During the migraine, when my body curled inwards, and my mind slipped back into old, frightening places, that familiar and horrible image returned. The urge to be hurt. The idea that physical violence might somehow be a way to escape my neurological pain. > "Someone just kick it out of me! Beat me to my senses." I know this voice. I know it is not the way out. I know it only tightens the trap. Still, it comes. What helped was an image from therapy, a visualisation. When this dark spiral begins, I try to transform the violence of the scene into care and serenity. I picture all my loved ones around my bed, my neighbourhood support chat, my therapists, my family, my people, standing there, watching over me, loving me, caring for me. Sweet, kind faces. They gradually help me up out of bed and pull me back towards safety. I open my eyes after I picture them all behind me, with their hands on my shoulder - spirits of love to keep me going. What keeps returning, again and again, is gratitude. What a beautiful family I have. How deeply they care. How much they wish they could help, do something, fix it. Even when I do not know what would help, feeling the love matters. Feeling the emotion matters. It feels like a step, clawing back towards safety, towards not feeling like a failure, towards not feeling alone. It is these social fabrics that keep us from deaths of despair. Recently, this kind of physical and emotional collapse has become an almost daily event. Migraines arrive multiple times a day, knocking the life out of me, like being kicked when I am already down. Days blur into each other. Whole days, even weeks, pass without me leaving the house. I am already depressed about my health, and I cannot even build the routines people recommend for getting better because I am constantly lying in bed with ice packs on my head, asking for help with meals, drifting in and out of pain. There is a deep, dark cloud behind my eyes. I move through the house like a ghoul, barely present. Just rolling in bed, listening to audiobooks, trying to remember that life is still worth it even when I can hardly move. In that state, my darkest thoughts start whispering that this is it. That this is my life now. Disability stretching endlessly ahead. The weakness and heaviness in my body make it easy for my mind to spiral too. And still, I try. I look for small silver linings. The *Lord of the Rings* trilogy on audiobook, epic and steady. Video games in German so I can feel like I am still learning something. Following and supporting other disabled people online, finding resonance in their stories. Liking photos from nature photographers who are out seeing what I long to see, even if I can only witness it through a screen. These have become a kind of community in this dark moment. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/01/owl.png) Sleeping owl There is something deeply alien about migraine aura. The way it drains strength from my body. The way it makes everything feel unreal. I keep asking, why now? What have I done? I do not have answers. I do not know what is best or what comes next. All I know is that I have to keep moving forward in whatever small way I can. The dark thoughts still come, but now I have more tools. Visualisation, teddy bears, meditation. Ways to guide myself back to safety again. I am trying to believe, piece by piece, that things can improve. That one therapy after another, one treatment after another, can still make space for recovery. It has been five years. Now moving into six. They say seven years is average for chronic fatigue and pain like this. I am holding on to that. Not tightly, of course, I am may like this for life, but enough to keep my "Curable" attitude. Crying through clenched teeth. Staying patient. Keeping love in my heart. These days are not easy. But they reveal a shadow of life that opens me up to empathy, vulnerability and letting in love. One breath. One day at a time. It is a goddamn fight. But I am still here. --- Thank you for reading my personal reflections. I hope they can also offer you some solace. Whilst I am recovering from my breakdown of chronic symptoms, I will be posting more on this newsletter, Round Robin, and less on Citizens Assemble. Feel free to [unsubscribe](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/account/newsletters) if you're not into that. I just feel a calling to keep writing about my experience. To break down the stigmas of burnout, depression and all else that ails me. To express the silent scream of my suffering. Perhaps another will resonate, and we can recover together. There will be art, joy and resistance too. But for now, I must reflect on a few shadows before I can see the light again. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/10/me-birthday-2.jpg) ## Sign up for Robin Boardman Hi I'm Robin. I'm a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, languages student and rebel. I write about social change to help make big dreams happen. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Share ### 🗞️ Beyond the Quote: My Full Q&A on Roger Hallam and Rev21 URL: https://robinboardman.com/beyond-the-quote/ Last updated: 2026-01-20T13:51:51.000Z I was recently interviewed by Sabrina Weiss for the Swiss magazine Republik about my work alongside Roger Hallam – first through Extinction Rebellion, and more recently through [Revolution in the 21st Century](https://rev21.earth/?ref=robinboardman.com). The interview covered familiar territory: the explosive growth of XR in 2018–19, the role of civil disobedience, Roger’s personality and controversies, and why we are now focused on assemblies, sortition, and long-term democratic renewal. As is often the case, the final published piece (available in [German](https://www.republik.ch/2025/12/23/nach-der-rebellion-kommt-die-revolution?ref=robinboardman.com) or [English](https://rogerhallam.com/after-the-rebellion-comes-the-revolution/?ref=robinboardman.com)) necessarily took just a few key lines from a long exchange. In my case, the interview was conducted by email rather than live – I am deeply unwell at the moment – which meant I’d put an added layer of care into my written responses. A friend, Lucas, suggested afterwards that it might be worth sharing those answers in full. So that’s what this post is. Not a rebuttal, nor an attempt to control the narrative, but a public decree of my feelings on the topic. I'm pleased with the interview and hope it travels far, particularly in German-speaking quarters, to restore Roger's image after previous character attacks and blunders. Enjoy! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/01/roger-in-market-2-1.png) Roger in Brixton Market --- ### **1\. Looking back at 2018/19, when XR grew so rapidly: what made the group so successful in mobilising thousands of people and persuading them to take part in civil disobedience?** Extinction Rebellion emerged at a very particular moment. The 2018 IPCC report had just landed, Greta Thunberg was calling adults out for “shitting on our future”, and David Attenborough’s documentaries were opening millions of eyes to unfolding climate chaos. By spring 2019, climate emergencies were being declared across the world, including in the UK Parliament, as rebels acted on that truth and shifted the conversation from personal eco-actions like switching the lights off to societal change and national Net Zero targets. XR offered a theory of change that felt new within the neoliberal era, even if rooted in historic nonviolence. We said openly that mass marches were not enough, and that people would need to take risks, make sacrifices, and put their liberty on the line if they genuinely wanted change. That invitation to move from being a liberal talking about the crisis to a radical acting on it was profoundly energising for many thousands of people. The depth of research on civil resistance by Erica Chenoweth, Roger, and others on movements from the Arab Spring to Gay Rights gave XR credibility, and its public display of inventive and artistic disobedience gave it cultural appeal. It reached deep into society, sparking and riding a whirlwind of change. --- ### **2\. What has your experience been like working with Roger Hallam over the years?** Roger has been both a mentor and friend to me since I was a teenager. I am a disciple of his sociological and empirical approach to mass organising. Together, as co-coordinators of XR’s outreach team, we worked carefully to design replicable systems, drawing on models such as the 2016 Sanders presidential campaign to meet people where they are, guide them through escalating engagement, and ground organising in social science rather than guesswork. He has a boundless work ethic and is one of Gramsci's organic intellectuals – someone willing to step down from the ivory tower and put ideas into practice. He walks his talk, repeatedly putting his body and his liberty on the line to demonstrate the power of civil disobedience and truth-telling. Working with him has been energising, inspiring, and at times exhausting. His fiery approach moves fast, launches multiple projects, and probes different weak points in the system to see where change can ignite. That intensity has lit up movements, but it has also sometimes burned those of us who work in a slower, more grounded way. Even so, throughout all the challenges and controversies, I have trusted his intentions and admired his dedication. --- ### **3\. How would you describe his approach to activism today?** Roger remains deeply committed, but circumstances have changed. He is currently under tight police monitoring and quasi-house arrest, and so has stepped back from frontline civil disobedience due to repeated prison sentences and escalating repression. His focus now is on teaching, writing, and helping others to organise effectively. At the moment, that mainly takes him to the streets of Brixton to build assemblies on homelessness and addiction. He continues to draw inspiration from movements like ACT UP and from Larry Kramer’s raw honesty and emotional clarity. Although Roger is not naturally a highly emotional person, as a sociologist he recognises the power that comes from speaking plainly, expressing anger, and disrupting social norms when the stakes are existential. He will always seek to empower such people into the spotlight, and if no one is willing or able, will do so himself. [Extinction Rebellion founder to tackle street homelessness and drug addiction in BrixtonNew community organising group Assemble held a meeting on Thursday evening at the Edmundsbury Community Hall to hear local views on the problems of street homelessness, drug addiction and mental il…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/icon/cropped-buzz512.png)John Lubbock![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/thumbnail/image4-e1759517009948.jpg)](https://www.brixtonbuzz.com/2025/10/extinction-rebellion-founder-to-tackle-street-homelessness-and-drug-addiction-in-brixton/?ref=rogerhallam.com) --- ### **4\. In your view, how does his personality shape the new movement day-to-day?** Roger’s willingness to speak uncomfortable truths, his relentless drive, and his insistence on sacrifice have influenced XR, Just Stop Oil, Youth Demand, Take Back Power, and now Rev21. That same intensity can also cause friction. He moves quickly, breaks through consensus, and challenges assumptions. For some, that is inspiring; for others, it is difficult. But his presence consistently pushes movements towards seriousness, courage, and a refusal to pretend that business-as-usual politics or conventional activism can solve the climate crisis. --- ### **5\. Regarding Rev21: Roger mentioned the sortition-based model you’re pursuing. Your website also notes that Rev21 connects people with the A22 network. Does civil disobedience remain part of the strategy if the demands of sortition-based assemblies are not met?** Rev21 emerged from a period where both of us became more limited in our personal circumstances. I’ve been disabled by long COVID for five years, and Roger is tightly restricted by the state. We wanted to build a model of social change that is accessible, decentralised, and rooted in everyday life. Assemblies, participatory democracy, and sortition offer that. Civil disobedience remains essential. We still support it intellectually, publicly, and through networks like A22 and Just Stop Oil, even if we are not currently at the front line ourselves. What Rev21 aims to do is pass on the lessons of a decade of resistance – the sociological insights, the emotional wisdom, and the democratic innovations – so that others can take them forward. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. --- ### **6\. Some of Roger’s past rhetoric has been described as stark or provocative. Do you think there’s a risk it could distance potential supporters?** There is always that risk. Some liberal supporters may be turned off by stark rhetoric that breaks the comfortable boundaries of public debate. But the more interesting question for me is: who is moved by the truth? Roger’s blunt honesty resonates with a particular minority – the people who are willing to act on the truth when they finally hear it spoken without euphemism. In social movements, that committed minority is what drives change. The corporate media often pulls provocative lines apart and frames them as crude or offensive. But behind that noise is a strategy: emotional clarity, moral insistence, and a refusal to sanitise the crisis. I think that approach has brought in far more deeply committed activists than it has pushed away. --- ### **7\. What motivates you personally to continue working with him despite the controversies?** He inspires me. He is one of the most thoughtful, well-read, and intellectually wide-ranging people I’ve ever known. He interrogates ideas deeply. He learns from his mistakes and will adapt his approach based on past failures if presented with the facts and statistics. And he dedicates every ounce of his life to this work. I also see a more spiritual side of him since his time in prison. He reflects more openly on past controversies, on forgiveness, and on personal growth. Working closely with him gives me a window into those changes that the public rarely sees. No one is perfect. But his discipline, breadth of knowledge, and relentlessness get me out of bed every morning wanting to write, organise, and push forward. --- ### **8\. When you think ahead ten or twenty years, what would you hope people remember about this chapter of climate activism?** I hope people remember that we tried to act on the truth as clearly as we could see it, and that we were willing to face personal consequences to do so. We gave what small resources we had to confront the power of the fossil fuel industry. We insisted on nonviolence even as society drifted towards authoritarianism. We believed in humanity enough to organise, even when the future looked bleak. If people remember anything, I hope it is that ordinary people were willing to risk their freedom not out of despair, but out of love for life, our natural world, and humanity. --- ### **9\. Anything else you’d like to add?** Working with Roger has transformed my life. He was the reason I dropped out of university and helped co-found Extinction Rebellion. We’ve been through a lot – from high-stakes civil disobedience, hunger strikes and media storms, to hundreds of hours of discussion in prison and quiet dinners to celebrate our friendship. Through all the chaos of the climate emergency and the turbulence inside movements, he has been a steady presence. I continue to support and respect him, and to believe that together – alongside thousands of others – we can still shape a livable future. [📰 After the Rebellion comes the RevolutionI was interviewed by Sabrina Weiss for the Swiss magazine, Republik, about my recent shift from civil disobedience to community assemblies. The original article was published in German on their website. An English translation is shared below.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/icon/roger-square-icon-2.png)Roger HallamRoger Hallam![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/thumbnail/roger-in-market-2-1-1.png)](https://rogerhallam.com/after-the-rebellion-comes-the-revolution/?ref=robinboardman.com) Full article available here. --- Thanks for reading! While you are here, I wanted to let you know my new book with Roger is out in 1 week! How exciting and nerve-racking. I've just sent out 100 copies for the launch date. If you'd like to show your support, please order a copy and write a review I can share with all my friends 😄 [Suicide (Paperback) – PRE-ORDER\*PRE-ORDER NOW FOR RELEASE ON THE 28TH OF JANUARY\* Suicide is part memoir, part political reckoning. Drawing on Hallam’s award-winning \[...\]![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/icon/favicon.png)Revolution in the 21st Century![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/thumbnail/e7jkz96-front-shortedge-384.jpg)](https://rev21.earth/product/suicide/?ref=robinboardman.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2026/01/roger-in-market.png) Roger in Brixton Market, 2025 ### 🌷 Receiving Love: Reflections On My 28th Birthday URL: https://robinboardman.com/receiving-love/ Last updated: 2025-10-18T15:25:45.000Z > Ah, but I was so much older then > I'm younger than that now > \- Bob Dylan I turned twenty-eight today — or at least, scientifically I did. Emotionally, part of me feels far older, part younger, and all of them somehow alive at once. There’s the **60-year-old** inside me: worried for family and future, gossiping with neighbours, living vicariously through the young while tucked in seclusion with a crossword. The **40-year-old**: a small business-owner, organised, serious, trying to keep things together. The **23-year-old**: frozen in the trauma of the pandemic, the violence of the mob that attacked me, the conflicts that tore my friends apart, and the virus that changed my life forever. The **18-year-old**: partying through the night — lost in drum and bass beats and intoxication, feeling love for the first time and crying in vast landscapes. The **11-year-old**: lonely in a new private school, my mind expanding as my heart quietly sank. The **8-year-old**: a bleach-blond cherub jumping from cliffs into the Mediterranean with a beaming family wrapped around me. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/10/gnarled-tree-1.jpg) A gnarled tree in the local arboretum. I am all of them and none. Each one speaks in their own tone in my mind, but they meet here — in me, this moment, trying to make peace. I look in the mirror and see myself as an avatar transforming, pixel by pixel, like a computer-game character facing each new level in the great game of life. On level twenty-eight, I find myself rebuilding slowly from a breakdown. Five years on the rollercoaster of chronic illness have taken their toll. I keep trying new paths — both the well-trodden of medication and the newly emerging of therapy. One numbs, one enlivens. Both feel key, in balance, to my happiness. Yet the cold memories of loneliness and flashing trauma of violence open old wounds that I’m scared I can’t suture. They throb open, the fatigue stopping me from dressing them, and the migraines rebelling in response. Painting and writing help to liberate the feelings, but I can’t help wondering if I’ve lost my way — if I’m falling by the wayside. My girlfriend says she’s never seen me so sad, but I’m getting better, *right?* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/10/by-beach.jpg) Post-migraine, recovering by the beach. At this point, I’m learning that the breaking is part of the healing. I surrender to the pain — both physical and emotional — to try to learn what it wants to teach me. Can I befriend this shadow? Can I learn to be compassionate to the 11-year-old who had every material benefit yet cut his own arms? Can I free the 40-year-old workaholic who feels he must prove himself to deserve meaning and friendship? For now, I’m trying to trust the process of healing, even when it’s painful. --- Autumn helps. The drizzle of rain mirrors my inner weather; the falling leaves echo my slow unravelling. The warm glow of neighbouring houses offers a quiet sense of community and home. I curl into the season like a small animal in hibernation — vulnerable yet safe — surrounded by friends who give that extra bit to help me heal. If only I could tame my inner critic enough to receive their love fully. I try to begin again, and again, from the simplest place: love. Love as self-compassion. Love as survival. Love as an action. I want my new rotation of the sun to be built on that — on care, not achievement. I want to trust that even in stillness, I am enough. Each day can feel like a new boss battle, but it’s really just different terrain to explore. This birthday felt like a step in that direction. Rather than hiding in shame or over-performing a version of myself that was distant from my inner world, I opened up and asked for help to make it special. I was too unwell to do the things I usually do — to travel, cook, or clean — so I invited close friends and family to step in. I’m glad I did, because together they created a beautiful evening full of warmth, gifts, and care. The pressure wasn’t all on me, or my partner, or my parents, but shared — like a family preparing Christmas dinner. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/10/birthday-meal.jpg) The birthday dinner It had that familiar taste of home, despite being 440 kilometres from where I was born. There was a nut roast and wellingtons in the oven, two rounds of unique desserts, and homemade gifts — all oozing with the love infused within. And yet, somewhere deep inside, I felt uncomfortable. It was so strange to simply sit and receive — to be loved without giving anything back. I kept wanting to get up, to help, to contribute, to earn it somehow. By the end of the night, I cried. Not out of sadness, but because I was so deeply seen and cared for that I didn’t know how to hold it. I define so much of myself in the giving that receiving felt alien. I was my eight-year-old self again — the one who basked in a big family’s love and once floated carefree in warm water, trusting the sea to hold him. It felt beautiful, yet my forty-year-old self mocked my childishness. The thought that small walks and eating out could count as “a big day” was met with scorn and derision in my head. Oh, how hateful I can be to my struggling self sometimes... Disability has reminded me of the side of love I’d been missing — the side, as a friend wrote in my birthday card, “you forget what you know too well”: the kind that doesn’t need to be earned and that flows even when I’m still. The kind we’re born receiving, yet lose through self-criticism — through believing ourselves unworthy and undeserving of care. I find it hard to receive that love. It feels like falling backwards, trusting someone will catch me. But I want to practise that trust — to let care in without apology, to remember that receiving is also a gift. It lets others love me back. Maybe this birthday wasn’t about celebrating what I *do*, but remembering who I *am*: loved, held, human. This is where I begin again — from the quiet innocence of a newborn, who trusts in the people who show up, and in the life that keeps unfolding. **Level twenty-eight unlocked!** Not by grinding, but by remembering the lesson of level one: how to receive love. --- Thank you for reading my personal reflections. I hope they can also offer you some solace. Whilst I am recovering from my breakdown of chronic symptoms, I will be posting more on this newsletter, Round Robin, and less on Citizens Assemble. Feel free to [unsubscribe](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/account/newsletters) if you're not into that. I just feel a calling to keep writing about my experience. To break down the stigmas of burnout, depression and all else that ails me. To express the silent scream of my suffering. Perhaps another will resonate, and we can recover together. There will be art, joy and resistance too. But for now, I must reflect on a few shadows before I can see the light again. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/10/me-birthday-2.jpg) ## Sign up for Robin Boardman Hi I'm Robin. I'm a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, languages student and rebel. I write about social change to help make big dreams happen. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Share ### 🧖‍♂️ The Week I Disappeared — and What Brought Me Back URL: https://robinboardman.com/the-week-i-disappeared/ Last updated: 2025-06-27T06:28:27.000Z This past week knocked me flat. A seven-day migraine cluster — like a storm behind the eyes — left me barely able to stand, think, or speak. Just a fog of pain, confusion, and exhaustion. These crashes visit a couple of times a year since Long Covid, plunging me into dark depths and pulling tight on all my support strings. Most days, I was curled in bed, sleeping fifteen hours. In the half-light between naps, I clawed for something steady — a film, a poem, a breath of self-trust. Slowly, gently, the first flickers of strength returned. I found myself in the garden, clearing weeds — both from the soil and my mind. The depression, the doubt, the ache of futility — all loosening, just enough to breathe again. To re-enter the world, like a snail from its shell, I turned to stories. I visited the local screening of [Palestine Queer Cinema](https://queercinemaforpalestine.org/?ref=robinboardman.com) — a tender, furious act of resistance. To see oppressed communities express themselves in bittersweet, defiant ways is always humbling. Art as lifeline. Art as protest. That night, I cycled home under a warm sky, falafel in my belly and an owl gliding silently above me. A small miracle. Beauty returning. Proof I’m still in a beautiful world. Revived, I joined the blockade at Wageningen University, where students shut down the main building to demand an end to ties with Israeli institutions complicit in the genocide in Gaza. The sun shone on peaceful resistance and support swelled, particularly around the finale DJ set! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/06/IMG_7404.jpg) I hesitated before filming [a short video](https://www.tiktok.com/@robin.boardman/video/7517657237498629398?is%5Ffrom%5Fwebapp=1&sender%5Fdevice=pc&web%5Fid=7478622820164126230&ref=robinboardman.com) there — being an “influencer” is hardly cool in our circles. And social media, for all its reach, can feel like a parasite on our already anxious generation. But I had to speak out. To capture our struggle. To bring good vibes, and maybe a few more people in. It’s necessary because across Europe, universities continue to fund, legitimise, and collaborate with apartheid. We have to say “no more”, and shout “never again”! Then came the news this morning: the UK government plans to designate Palestine Action — a courageous, peaceful direct action group I know and love — as a terrorist organisation. So a group that exposes arms dealers enabling genocide is being criminalised for daring to disrupt the war machine. Meanwhile these merchants of mass death walk free, live lavish and twist our humanity. It’s obscene. The ban is chilling. It must be named for what it is: authoritarianism. But it doesn’t break my spirit. It reminds me this path — this work of resistance and repair — isn’t a sprint. It’s a long, uncertain pilgrimage. And we must walk it with care, with love, and without burning out the very heart we’re fighting to protect. I’ll keep standing up. Just not at the cost of falling down. So for now, I’m pressing pause. On meetings. On deadlines. On the thousand small alarms of movement life. I’m resting. Writing. Letting the light back in, slowly. Rest is resistance too. --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ### 🇪🇺 Inside Brussels: A Glimpse at Power, Protest, and Possibility URL: https://robinboardman.com/inside-brussels/ Last updated: 2025-06-18T15:41:21.000Z Last week, I travelled to Brussels with the European Civic Forum to launch their [new report](https://civic-forum.eu/civicspace25?ref=robinboardman.com) on the shrinking of civic space across Europe. I went with low expectations. Let’s be honest — the European Parliament is a machine bogged down in bureaucracy, still captive to corporate interests, still allergic to real participatory democracy. Personally, as a Brit living in Europe, I lament that we left the EU — but I’m under no illusions about its crippling faults. If there’s to be any meaningful future for Europe, it won’t come from parliamentary speeches and minor reforms. It will need an internal revolution — one that shifts power from lobbying halls to citizens’ assemblies, from political elites to organised communities, from economic growth to ecological survival. Until then, the institutions will keep tinkering while the planet burns. But I also went because I needed some fresh air. A change of scene. A few days away from the home office, intense convention organisation, and the grey exhaustion of arrests, courts and perpetual crisis. I wanted to meet new people. Build new networks. Find the others. And I did. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/06/IMG_7276.jpg) Strategy meeting at the European Civic Forum offices It began in surreal fashion. As we left the Civic Forum strategy event and walked towards the hotel, one of my Dutch colleagues spotted a familiar face. He stepped forward and began chatting in Dutch, like he’d run into an old friend. But it wasn’t. It was the Secretary General of NATO — and former Dutch PM of 14 years — Mark Rutte. In a split second, we found a few light words of surprise before challenging him directly on NATO’s role in fuelling climate collapse. We told him plainly that we’d be disrupting outside the NATO gathering on the [A12 in The Hague on June 25](https://extinctionrebellion.nl/en/extinction-rebellion-blokkeert-a12-op-25-juni-tijdens-navo-top/?ref=robinboardman.com). He brushed us off with a smirk, muttering something about disrupting his car and that we should be focused on Putin. I could hardly take in that we’d just confronted the head of one of the world’s biggest war and carbon machines. Still, it reminded me how thin the veil can be. These people are real. Their choices have consequences. And they can be confronted. Increasingly, groups like Climate Defiance, Fossil Free London, Citizens Arrest Network and Youth Demand are doing just that — calling out the powerful in the streets and at elite gatherings. I respect them for it, especially when combined with the mass mobilisation and community organising needed to disrupt the systems behind those faces. Later, we met with several Members of the European Parliament — Benedetta Scuderi from the Greens, and Renew Europe’s Veronika Cifrová and Raquel García, who kindly hosted us. Alongside about fifteen other civic organisers — from Palestine solidarity groups in Germany to Muslim youth advocates from France, and Ultima Generazione reps from Italy — we brought our stories to the table. We spoke about police surveillance, criminalisation of protest, foreign agent smear laws, and the creeping normalisation of fascism across Europe. In preparing for the meeting, I’d reached out on social media to ask what examples I should take to Parliament. The responses poured in: right-wing think tanks funded by fossil fuels and corporate lobbies writing anti-protest legislation; Last Generation activists treated like the mafia in Bavaria; terrorist charges levelled at climate and Palestine groups; police overreach through home visits and intimidation; and corporations using injunctions and civil courts to crush protest far from their pipelines and HQs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/06/IMG_7284-2.jpg) Inside the EU Parliament meeting room The Civic Forum report laid it all out with brutal clarity: across France, Germany, the Netherlands and beyond, civic space is being actively shrunk. Governments are not only failing to protect the right to protest — they’re actively undermining it. In many cases, they’re leading the charge. New laws. Surveillance threats. Legal intimidation. Defunding critical voices. Securitising migration and equating dissent with terrorism. And while civil society scrapes by with a historic €1.6 billion in EU support, it’s still peanuts compared to the [€400 billion in subsidies handed to the fossil fuel industries](https://stopfossilsubsidies.eu/?ref=robinboardman.com) — €42 billion of that just for petrol company cars. The contradictions could not be clearer. What stayed with me from the roundtable was how much work we still have to do to build a shared political imagination. I believe real change comes when inside power and outside pressure work in tandem — when activists in the streets and reformers in the institutions pull in the same direction. That kind of ecosystem is essential to push back against fascism and climate collapse. But in the roundtable, that vision felt out of reach. We traded small stories, practical ideas, incremental reforms — all worthwhile, but the urgency of collapse and the need for a popular movement felt strangely distant. Even in Brussels, with so much at stake, the gravitational pull of the status quo was strong. Still, it was a start. A foot in the door. And if we’re serious about transformation, we have to keep prising it open. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/06/IMG_7273.jpg) Stefan from XRTV came with me to help strategise and document the travels In that moment I felt something I hadn’t expected: cautious hope. Not in the institutions themselves — but in the people we brought together. The frontline organisers, the bridge-builders, the quiet strategists and fired-up radicals, all pushing from different directions but with one shared aim: to beat back the twin threats of climate collapse and fascism, and to build a Europe rooted in justice, care and courage. I don’t believe change will come from the top. But I do believe it can come through the cracks. That’s why I was there. That’s why I’ll keep showing up. We need a revolution in how we do politics — not just more progressive candidates, but a whole new system. One that listens, one that decides together, one that gives real power to ordinary people through citizens' assemblies and permanent civic participation. The EU, if it has any hope of surviving the next decades with integrity, needs to ditch the yoke of corporate capture and side with the people who are fighting for life on Earth. You can read the Civic Forum’s full report at [civic-forum.eu](https://civic-forum.eu/civicspace25?ref=robinboardman.com). And if you're reading this and thinking, "This is my fight too" — [then find us](https://rev21.earth/?ref=robinboardman.com). We’re building a broad, rebellious movement for democratic revolution. No illusions. No waiting. Just the long road ahead — together. You can watch the full video report and speeches [here](https://youtu.be/zstrj9%5FMPAk?ref=robinboardman.com) --- That’s a wrap for the Rev21 Convention! 500 people attended across 18 sessions with 50 speakers and many more organisers behind the scenes. Thank you so much to everyone who came and supported us. We raised £6000 and got dozens of new regular donors for the revolution. This is the work! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/06/image--2-.png) --- After all this action, I’ve been laid low with a week of migraines. I'm still learning how to balance chronic illness and activism. In the quieter moments, I’ve been reading, writing poetry, scribbling book and film reviews, and tending the garden when I can. Here's a few ways to keep in touch with my softer side: 📚 If you’d like to connect over books, I’m now on [StoryGraph](#) (for the indie-minded) and [Goodreads](#) (yes, I know — Amazon). 📽️ For film thoughts, lists, and the occasional rant, I’m on [Letterboxd](#). And for all of that plus the more personal side of things — poetry, illness, slow reflections — I’ve just launched a new Substack: [*Round Robin*](https://aroundrobin.substack.com/p/welcome-to-my-little-corner-of-the). It’s a space for writing without performance. A softer, slower corner of the internet, far from follower counts and punchy headlines. More raw and expressive, helping me to find a voice and community during heavy emotional weather. Come by if that sounds like your kind of thing. With warmth and slowness, Robin --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ### 🌷 Finding My Feet in the Springtime URL: https://robinboardman.com/finding-my-feet-in-the-springtime/ Last updated: 2025-05-12T06:45:20.000Z This winter, I was trapped on a snakes and ladders board. Slowly climbing up from the bottom—A&E with migraines, depression so deep I fantasized about ending the pain. The fabric of my world frayed by illness. For four years, since Covid rewired me, I’ve done double-takes in the mirror: “Who is this gaunt stranger?” Baggy eyes, ghostly skin, pain etched into my face. But I kept playing the game. A few strong days here—good therapy, a productive work session. Then the snakes: back to bed, audiobooks, ice packs, raisins like droppings in my duvet. Antidepressants brought stability. Therapy taught me kindness. Tara Brach’s mindfulness helped me spot flecks of gold in the rubble. Even when life felt like a dice roll, I clung to practice. Now, spring. My mojo creeps back. I count flowers as they bloom, whispering their Greek myth origins to anyone who’ll listen. I bask in sunlight, buried in N.K. Jemisin’s worlds—fantasy with the depth of ancient epics. The heat worries me (1.6°C, drought, the UK’s hottest May). But after this winter, I won’t let climate grief steal the joy of sun on my skin. Self-care means holding contradictions: The world burns, genocides grind on like Orwell’s 1984, yet we still we dance. These days, I’ve found hugs. Community. Good food. A Dutch windmill, friends laughing, cooking together. It’s enough. I share this because my darkest moments live in muscle memory, not photos. A void in the archive. If you’re in that place now—or have been—remember: there’s gold in your heart, pleasure in a pathless wood and ecstasy in community. Name your emotions. Make time for them. Find your people. These last days—camping in German forests, painting my new room, supporting community kitchens and student encampments—have been golden. This is gratitude to those who’ve walked with me, and an invitation: Join the 21st-century love revolution. The richness is here. — Robin 🌱 --- I'm hosting an online Convention on May 31st on [Revolution in The 21st Century](https://events.zoom.us/ev/AuAT1KXjZQEzDJ3Zt96HmatSjE4RDvrC8NZxcqQ4SZsLVeM9g7IY~AuNzylaQSvi9b3YCId2WUwFELH-5k7oucZRjVEZDk9sRo%5FdirJVCqc%5FwkQ?ref=robinboardman.com). Come along and let's build the community! [Join The Rev21 Convention](https://events.zoom.us/ev/AuAT1KXjZQEzDJ3Zt96HmatSjE4RDvrC8NZxcqQ4SZsLVeM9g7IY~AuNzylaQSvi9b3YCId2WUwFELH-5k7oucZRjVEZDk9sRo%5FdirJVCqc%5FwkQ?ref=robinboardman.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/05/Screenshot-2025-04-03-100828.png) Convention Speakers --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ### 🌫️ Rising from the Fog: Talks, Assemblies URL: https://robinboardman.com/rising-from-the-fog/ Last updated: 2025-03-29T09:09:45.000Z I’m back on the road, giving talks again. This week I was with Patagonia HQ in Amsterdam and Scientist Rebellion in Utrecht. It feels like stepping out of a long, painful fog. Our movement crashed in 2020, and so did my body—locked in chronic pain for five years. But now, I’m here. And my vision has never been clearer. The UK insurance industry is warning of catastrophe: four billion deaths in the coming decades if we don’t slash emissions (Lenton, 2025). Four. Billion. This is not alarmism. This is the scale of the emergency we face. With [*Revolution in The 21st Century*](https://rev21.earth/?ref=robinboardman.com), I’m organising talks, workshops, books, and fundraising to rebuild the movement. We can’t afford fragmented efforts. We need coordination, collective action, and a radical shift in how we fight. ### Taking Back Power Citizen assemblies—where ordinary people, free from elite control, make real decisions—are essential. Whether it’s building local power, contesting elections, or forcing governments to act, assemblies can drive systemic change. Mass protests will give this movement momentum. Extinction Rebellion shook the system. The Dutch climate protests have made waves. But we need to go further: a movement that cycles through assemblies, mass mobilisations, independent candidates, and sustainable grassroots funding. The system won’t fix itself. We need sortition-based assemblies—randomly selected citizens making decisions without corporate influence. From single-issue local assemblies to a fully sortition-based government, this is how we shift power back to the people. The movement will grow in waves. Assemblies will form. Mass protests will rise. Independent candidates will run. And we’ll build sustainable funding to keep going. This is how we win. It’s time to rebel—for life, for everything we hold dear. Drop me a message if you want in. 🙏🏼 P.S. Picked up [*It’s Not Just You* by Tori Tsui](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781398508750?ref=robinboardman.com) from the Patagonia library. Haven’t heard someone admit to writing a book on psychedelics since Aldous Huxley. 🍄 Excited to dig in! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/03/tori-patagonia.png) --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ### ♂️ GreenGrowBros: How Male Dominance Is Sabotaging Our Survival URL: https://robinboardman.com/greengrowbros/ Last updated: 2025-03-06T07:20:05.000Z *Originally published in* [*The Jester*](https://files.cargocollective.com/c2240918/19th-edition%5Fjester--09-12-24-.pdf?ref=robinboardman.com) *\- an amateurish, satirical, and critical student newspaper.* Ah, the Green Growth Men of environmental courses—always ready to dominate group discussions with reminders about “economic factors.” Their next carbon credit start-up might buy them a Tesla, but sadly, it will not save us from collapse. A cursory glance at ecofeminist critiques—or even a touch of self-awareness—would make that painfully clear. Yet they stride through the halls of academia and corporate boardrooms, selling a dream of "sustainable development" that somehow involves more profits, more status, and absolutely no sacrifice. These men—let’s call them the *GreenGrowBros*—have mastered the art of marketing sustainability as an extension of dominating masculinity. Forget saving the planet for the sake of, you know, survival. No, the Earth must be saved for status. Picture billboards of dark, brooding electric trucks and energy-efficient tech in black and metallic hues—environmental justice, but make it *manly*. Here’s the thing about that kind of masculinity: it’s fragile. Like a precarious tower of Jenga blocks, it constantly needs shoring up. Threaten a man’s meaty status, and studies show he might lash out. Like the Norwegian army, which refused Meatless Monday. Or the general mansplaining of climate breakdown as a "natural cycle." The roots of this fragility run deep. Hegemonic masculinity thrives on dominance—over women, over nature, over emotions. To keep up appearances, men are socialised to suppress vulnerability (because feelings are for wimps), reject care work (that’s women’s stuff), and pursue the breadwinner status at all costs. This is why the GreenGrowBros would rather fire mirrors into space to deflect sunlight than admit that maybe, just maybe, infinite economic growth is incompatible with a finite planet. Admitting that would require introspection, which we blokes can avoid like period parties. Speaking of reflection, maybe it’s time to look in the mirror—not the kind you launch into orbit, but one that reveals what masculinity has become. ## **The Three Faces of Man** 1. **The Industrial Breadwinner** Behold, the rugged coal miner of yore, romanticised as the backbone of the nation. Never mind that his livelihood destroyed ecosystems and lungs alike. Today, this archetype clings to denial because admitting there’s a climate crisis would threaten not just his job but his identity. You’re more likely to find these macho men behind a gas-guzzling vanity project than on top of their housework. 2. **The Ecomodern Saviour** Enter the tech bro: Arnold Schwarzenegger flaunting an electric Hummer, Elon Musk promising Mars colonies, and Bill Gates investing in carbon capture—because nothing says "saving the planet" like turning it into a side hustle. These men have it all—money, power, and a deep conviction that technology will solve everything. Care work? Maybe we could get a robot to do that. Why support care workers when we can invest in flashy existential threats? Am I right, ladies? 3. **The Warm Gentleman** The rarest breed: men who prioritise care, community, and sufficiency over dominance. These men recognise that living well with low consumption isn’t about deprivation but redefining well-being. They champion collective action and holistic living, offering a glimpse of what masculinity could look like—if only they weren’t so busy waiting for women to applaud them. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/03/green-grow-bro-2-2.webp) Green Growth Men. Credits: Dall-e Here’s the kicker: dismantling patriarchy isn’t just good for women—it’s good for men, too. Masculinity based on domination traps men in a vicious loop of isolation and suffering, contributing to higher rates of suicide, workplace injuries, and mental health issues. One of Western society’s biggest killers is suicide among middle-aged men. If they get fired, divorced, or neoliberal society rips them off, then their identity crisis sends them into nihilism. But framing this in terms of men’s "interests" is tricky. After all, when you’re used to privilege, equality can feel like oppression. The solution isn’t about retreating from masculinity but redefining it. The warm man instead focuses on the bravery of challenging the status quo. He rejects the luxuries of another big-breasted advert for the simple joys of repairing and nurturing the home. In doing so, masculine industries—cars, fossil fuels, hyper-consumerism—will begin to scale down and make way for a simpler way of living. Some GreenGrowBros will be unwilling to let go of their toys—it can be hard, I know. Don’t worry. We’ll walk out of that man-cave together. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. The evolution of masculinity will not be passive and apologetic but a model that balances power and vulnerability. For example, men’s groups like the Mankind Project are a great way to open up and challenge yourself to step up. In doing so, they build emotional resilience and collective accountability. Chances are that you'll make some new mates after a bit of a cry around the fire. Real ones. And in turn, you can offer your ear to another man (It’s okay; you don’t have to make eye contact). Say you are there for him. Come thick or thin. The GreenGrowBros may scoff, but the real revolution won’t come from billionaires with electric trucks, phallic rockets, and ESG stocks. It will come from men willing to hold themselves accountable for their actions. So, dear GreenGrowBros, turn down that FinTech job and pick up a broom. The planet—and humanity—might just thank you. --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. ### ⚖️ Visiting a Jailed Revolutionary URL: https://robinboardman.com/visiting-roger/ Last updated: 2025-01-25T14:40:47.000Z After working through the cold halls and sniffer dogs, I found Roger in the visitors' area as chipper and visionary as ever. He would quickly dismiss the hardships of prison life - no glasses, no paracetamol for the flu, TVs blaring all night - as “no big shakes” compared to the horrors we face. He takes prison in his stride as a resistor. The criminalisation of protest in the UK and across the world is eroding our democracy. It’s a toxic limitation on our rights and freedoms. However, Roger doesn’t want your sympathy or any Free Roger campaigns. This is his 7th time inside, and he remains laser-focused on the mission at hand. He wants people to go into resistance. Only people power will shake the behemoth of the oligarchy. He laid out his vision for a new society built on cooperation, assemblies, and mutual aid. The climate and social shocks are now locked in. The Institute of Actuaries predicts 4 billion deaths at 3C warming in the following decades. All else now pales to the horror we face. Roger isn’t an easy person to work with. He moves like fire, igniting and burning movements with his endless energy. Those close to him know what pain this can leave in its wake. What always draws me back to him, though, is his determination to spark a revolutionary moment. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2025/01/roger-nd-me.jpg) Roger and I out for a New Year's Walk 2021 This is what we dream of—a new society based on care and compassion to ward off the worst of social breakdown. Yes, that’s fascism and genocide, in case you’ve missed it. Every right and dignity we win now is a step towards that progressive revolution. To be part of it, join the 1000+ people outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Jan 29th and 30 from 9-5 to demand the release of all political prisoners. We will resist. If you can't make it, donate to [Defend Our Juries](https://defendourjuries.org/?ref=robinboardman.com), and you'll be there in spirit. This is our moment to check the creep of authoritarianism. Don’t miss it, or you’ll be next in the cells.. [Find Out More](https://defendourjuries.org/?ref=robinboardman.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Share --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ### 📕 A Hotbed of Rebellion URL: https://robinboardman.com/a-hotbed-of-rebellion/ Last updated: 2024-10-01T07:37:23.000Z There are those of the British bulldog spirit who do not back down. Proud souls who, once crushed to earth, rise again. To this brave bunch belonged Charles Benedict, Lord Leathers. Lord Leathers had unexpectedly risen from an earnest peace activist to a Labour peer by the simple method of never knowing when he was beaten. Having been through the revolving door of local government, charities and eventually landing in a cushy, well-to-do publishing house - he knew the rungs of the social ladder. The fact that he bullied his way through the honest bods of the third sector to get there did give his heart the occasional pang. However, he was an Oxford man and had learnt that a stiff upper lip, a regular counting of his income and an Old Fashioned usually quelled any concerns. The fact that he was now ringing the buzzer of the Sixth Extinction Offices proved that the tenacious spirit still lingered in his later years. He had come to tackle Joan Pickington in person regarding that much gossiped memoir of hers, *A Hotbed of Rebellion*, and he meant to stand no nonsense. Many in his easygoing position, informed that the veteran activist, Joan Pickington had decided to not publish her memoir, would have felt that there was nothing to be done about it. They would have accepted her choice as one of characteristic firmness, grieving for moment the loss of a book that promised to be a hoot. Lord Leathers, however, was made of sterner stuff. Whilst he enjoyed the company’s boozy lunches and soirees with semi-stardom, he also straightened up when gold was in the offing. Reading Joan’s curt email retracting the memoir he had raged and grieved: but it never occurred to him not to persevere. *He who perseveres, conquers*, as his old public school motto went. A busy man about town, he could not immediately pull himself away from his bustling publishing house. After receiving Joan’s notice of reneging on her contract, Lord Leathers had had to deal with a mounting pile of work and attend daily dinners before he could set off for Rebellion HQ. But at eleven forty that morning he had taken the tube to Euston and, after finding his way through the bazaar of restaurants on Drummond Street, stood in front of the tower block of Sixth Extinction. His mood was a mixed one. He repeatedly assured himself of his prowess in art of negotiation, afterall it was he that had tackled several Members of Parliament for memoirs after a bubbly Conservative Conference had ended in a recorded orgy of “highly unprofessional” whipping. It was he who had even faced up to the young Royalty regarding their stealing of pigs and sinking of rival rowing boats during a Cambridge hazing process. The idea that he might fail in his mission with a so-called “Rebel Mama” was surely a distant one. And yet, a dim recollection of Joan Pickington stirred a faint shake in his knees. For you see their paths in the rebel underworld had crossed before. Just shy of 40 years had passed since their last encounter at a Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament rally. Even in the old days he had never really been one of her entourage, that was saved mainly for the female sex, but he retained a vague memory of a feisty, energetic woman. Yet surely that was just a youthful flair? Just the kind he had once had against the Cold War. All that puritan stubbornness would have worn off with age and a gradual acceptance of reality’s compromises. Steeled by the thought, Lord Leathers imagined her softly breaking, like an apple crumble, under the weight of his status and reasoning. That was exactly what he would subject her to as soon as this intercom was answered. Lord Leathers had great faith in his gift for the gab and he was just clearing his throat, preparing it for the job at hand, when a young nasal voice answered the buzzer. ‘Hello.’ ‘Yes... Sixth Extinction Offices - Who are you?’ ‘Lord Leathers.’ ‘Lord… Are you sure you’ve got the right place?” “Yes, quite sure. Is Joan in? Joan Pickington?’” “As ever.”“Well? May I see her?”“Alright c’mon in. 4th floor. I reckon she’s in the Dodo Den.’ The Dodo Den, however, proved empty. Nonetheless, there were clues to a recent occupant. A sheet of flipchart paper was skewed across the floor with a marker pen mindmap drawn under the title “Who’s shagging who?”. Lord Leathers felt his pulse quicken as he leant forwards, trying to decipher the scraggy scrawl. ‘Maybe Joan’s out in Regent’s park. She walks there sometimes,’ said the nasal rebel, as one tolerant of the foibles of genius. ‘Take a pew’, the youth gestured to a beanbag, ‘and she’ll be back…’. Turning to avoid eye contact with the plump Lord of the realm, the nasal youth began to jaunt off to the rhythm of a distant beat. On another day, Lord Leathers would have stared after this non-binary youngster, as his generation were apt to do, and wondered of their gender but today was different. Had Lord Leathers taken his seat he would have seen this pink-haired youth walking off to enter into a dance circle and wondered of the work ethics of today. But Lord Leathers did not take a seat. He was staring, transfixed, at something that lay upon the Dodo Den desk. He drew closer—furtively, with a sidelong eye on the door and the shrinking pink mop on the youth’s head. Yes, his guess had been correct. It was the manuscript of *A Hotbed of Rebellion* that lay before him. Clearly its author had only just risen from the task of polishing it, for the fountain pen ink was still wet on a paragraph where, searching like Dumas for the *mot juste*, she had crossed out the word ‘drunk’ and substituted it for the more colourful ‘blotto’. Lord Leathers’ pulse stepped up a notch. His globular eyeballs, mimicking his rotund belly, bulged imperceptibly forward with a quick inhale. [Sign Up For Stories](#/portal/signup) As anyone who had wrestled prestige from a resistant world, Lord Leathers has a touch of the Viking about him. A practical, pilfering gene that extends from the clarity of his blue eyes to his readiness for a light footed escape. Even as a young activist, he had been on his toes for any chance at a spot in the limelight. Once he had even sent three other journalists on lengthy ghost chases around the Hebrides to search for nonexistent US army bases just so he could secure a job as a writer for Peace News. It was this trait that led to him to fly up the ranks before eventually consolidating his years of showboating back in the world of words as a publishing house editor. And while prosperity and his budding place amongst the media mogul monopoly had reduced his spunk for giving rivals the elbow, it had not died altogether. As he hovered over Joan’s desk and flexed his fingers, he eyed the empty rooms around him through glass walls. Not a soul in sight. Everyone it seemed was in the Pangolin Pantry, dancing barefoot to a hypnotic beat. With the coast clear and a tube station just around the corner, Lord Leathers felt the urge to ‘grab-and-dash’ tantalisingly close. A bead of sweat was just popping into existence as he stretched his chubby fingers towards the desk edge. And perhaps it was fortunate that age had slowed his instincts, for his ears then pricked up to a new sound. He drew back as he heard the lift door open and turned to find Joan Pickington humming Marvin Gaye’s Mercy Mercy Me in the corridor. She walked up to the Dodo Desk as gay and carefree as if she had just lost the dead weight of a crotchety husband. In the doorway she paused, lowered her broad sunglasses and eyed her visitor keenly. Her forehead wrinkled as she took in the ornate patriarch in front of her. ‘Don’t tell me,’ she begged. ‘Let me think. I pride myself on my memory. You’re fatter and you’ve aged a lot, but I know you. In some peculiar way, I seem to associate you with hummus… Pete Pancake? … Foxy Fred? … No, I’ve got it, gosh! Charlie Creeper!’. She beamed with simple pleasure. ‘Not bad, that, considering that it must be fully forty years since I saw you last. I never forget a face. Particularly one so round and red. Charlie. That’s who you are. And we used to call you Creep. Well, well, how are you, Creeper love?’ Lord Charlie Leathers’ face had taken on a deeper shade of burgundy than the one mentioned. His assurance was knocked by this reference to his increasing number of chins and his greying locks. True, he had put on a few more pounds, there was no denying that, but such brash reference to it was unpleasant, even for a man of his status. Then of course there was the name. Creeper! How anyone could think that such a nickname for the Lord was beyond him. Even in his earlier, more self conscious years, he had dismissed this reference to his habit of lurking near protest microphones. He had the gift of the gab, as anyone who looked at his present media empire could see, and so, naturally, he should have been on the microphone instead of those meek women of the time. He couldn’t stand to hear his honourable ambition so degraded by a nickname. He said so. ‘Well, all right. Charlie, then,’ said Joan Pickington with a dismissive wave of the hand. ‘How are you, Charlie? Crikey, this takes me back. The last time I saw you must have been that night at The Bricklayers when Flossy Fran started throwing beer and got a little over-excited, and one thing led to another and in about two minutes there you were on the floor, laid out cold by bottle of rum and all the undertakers present were making bets on your state of consciousness. I can see your face now,’ said Joan Pickington, chuckling. ‘Red as a robin’s breast’ Lord Leathers was taken off guard by this trip down a drunken memory lane. The wobble in his knees grew. However, whilst Joan chuckled in recollection, he regained his balance and stepped forward with a flash of his Viking eyes. “You’ve quite the memory, Joan. In fact, it’s just your lurid recollections that I wanted to talk about”. His words fell on deaf ears. Joan Pickington had turned to face out of the window, lost in her thoughts. She suddenly became grave, and her smile hardened into pursed lips of concern. ‘Poor old Floss!’ she sighed. ‘A lady who never knew when to stop. Her only fault, poor thing’ Lord Leathers shifted uncomfortably. He had not left a busy day in one of the most prestigious publishing houses on these fair isles to talk about the alcoholic demise of the late Francesca Silver, a woman who, even before the binge alluded to, had never been a comrade of his. He coughed loudly, trying to break Joan’s reminiscent mood but once on memory lane she was not an easy woman to divert. ‘I took the whole thing up with her at the pub the next day. Throwing bottles of rum in quaint pubs wasn’t done, I said. Not British. Beer, yes, I said. Bottles, no. I pointed out that all the trouble was caused by her fatal practice of always ordering shots where others began with pints.’ ‘I…’ said Lord Leathers. ‘I levelled with her about it. She said to me “I know Joanie, I get ahead of myself after an action. It’s the rush of the thing. I need a couple of steady drinks to cool my nerves.” Of course you remember the 80s Creeper, the police weren’t so soft as those in blue today. A drink to regain your composure was natural, sometimes even necessary. I remember one day back in ‘86 when we were picketing a Bristol Shell garage for their dodgy involvement in apartheid when who turned up but Flossy Fran herself. She was carrying one of those cheeky grins and so naturally I knew trouble was brewing.” ‘I…’ said Lord Leathers. ‘Yes trouble, that was old Floss’, proceeded Joan Pickington. ‘In the end, she ended up bashing in one of the petrol machines and getting banged up over in Keynsham police station. The Filton branch already being packed up with our people, you’ll remember. And, so of course I drove down after the picket in the ex-husband’s van to pick up the pieces. A Quaker lass by the name of Sissie Cindy, came down for the ride. As we waited I pulled up to the offy and emerged with several six-packs of solid brew. Sissie C looked at me in disbelief. “Surely we shouldn’t be turning up to the station with drink?” She said, with spectacles looking particularly square if I remember rightly.’ ‘I…’said Lord Leathers. ‘Of course, I nipped that argument in the bud. And good thing too. For when Floss et al emerged from the clink in the wee hours they looked up at me in the van with wide, expectant eyes. Ho-ho I remember Flossy’s words to this day. “This is the end, Joanie, I’m parched as a desert. I haven’t had a sip of the stuff for almost 24 hours. I'm losing my grip.” Poor thing, as you can readily imagine. I drew her into a seat and consoled like a well lubricated aunt, having already had half the cans myself. This time she gave me her solemn word that from that day onward she would never touch another drop. “I’ll do it, damn it,” she said, “I’ve got to. I can’t go through the rest of my life seeing hallucinations in the cell. I saw pink elephants, talking skeletons and even the tomato face of Creeper Charlie looming over me.”’ ‘Yes, brother, in that grim moment she thought of you … And she went off with a set, resolute look about his jaw which it did me good to see.’ ‘I…’ said Lord Leathers. ‘And about a month later I came across her in a women’s gathering up North, over Kendal way. She was bubbling over with quiet happiness. “It’s all right, Joanie.” she said, “I’ve discovered the teetotal remedy that is palatable and positively appetising. Mary Jane, they call it, and now I’ve got that I don’t care if I never touch wine, spirits, or any other booze again”.’ ‘I am not interested,’ said Lord Leathers hotly, ‘in your friend Francesca!’ Joan Pickington was remorseful. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘Shouldn’t have rattled on like that—a regular failing of mine at the moment. You see I’ve been knee deep in memories fishing out all that wasn’t lost down the river Lethe during the high tide of drink. And then you know how it is, once you’re on to one corking memory, another flashes back. Probably you’ve come on some most important mission, and here have I been yarning away, wasting your time. Thank you for pulling me up. I’m always telling these young ones to do it. Take a seat, and tell me why you’ve suddenly bobbed up like this after all these years, Creeper.’ ‘Don’t call me Creeper!’ ‘Of course. I’m sorry. Forgot. Well, carry on, Charlie.’ ‘And don’t call me Charlie. My name is Leathers’ Joan Pickington started. Her sunglasses fell from the end of her nose and hung swinging by their cord. Another one of those brief wrinkles of strain came over her brow. She gave the man a disappointed look and shook her head gravely. ‘Going about under a codename? After all these years of open organising? Bad. I don’t like that.’ ‘Oi!’ ‘It never pays. Honestly, it doesn’t. Sooner or later you’re bound to be found out, and then you get it all the hotter from the judge. I remember saying that to Rowan Bloom in the noughties when the Greenham Common camp closed down; she was sneaking about London calling herself Vera Brittain in the empty hope of baffling the coppers after a messy blockade of the Army Recruitment Centre. And she, unlike you, had had the basic sense to at least put on a wig. Creeper, old friend,’ said Joan Pickington kindly, ‘is it worthwhile? Can this do anything but postpone the inevitable end? Why not go back and face the music like a satyagrahi? Or, if the thing’s too bad for that, at least look in at some good fancy dress shop and buy a false beard. What is it they are after you for?’ Lord Leathers was beginning to wonder if even a volume that would so stir the British nation like *A Hotbed of Rebellion* was worth the price he was paying. ‘I call myself Leathers,’ he said between set teeth, ‘because in a recent Honours List I received a peerage, and Leathers was the title I selected.’ Light flooded in upon Joan Pickington’s darkness. ‘Oh, you’re Lord Leathers?’ ‘I am.’ ‘What on earth did they make you a lord for, Creeper love?’ asked Joan Pickington in frank amazement. Lord Leathers was telling himself that he must be strong. ‘It may come as some surprise to you, given the way you’ve been going on, but I happen to occupy a rather sizable position in the charity and literary world. I am now the editor of an establishment whose name may be familiar to you— the Dolphin Publishing Company.’ ‘Dolphin?’ ‘Dolphin.’ ‘Don’t tell me,’ said Joan Pickington. ‘Let me think. Wait’, she clicked her finger with remembrance, ‘aren't Dolphin the people I sold my book to?’ ‘They are.’ ‘Creeper darling—I mean Charlie—I mean Leathers,’ said Joan Pickington regretfully, ‘I’m sorry about that. Yes, by Gaia, I am. I’ve let you down, haven’t I? I see it all now. You came to twist my arm. To help me see the other side. Well, I’m sorry, you really should have called and I would’ve made it clear as day Creeper, you old bloodhound. The book will not be published.’ ‘But …’ ‘No. Don’t try your old tricksy ways. I won’t do it.’ ‘But, goodness gracious! …’ ‘I know, I know. It’s a blow for the nation. But I won’t. I have reasons.’ ‘Reasons?’ ‘Reasons, Creeper. Surely you can imagine the bind the book has put me in since the Rebellion launched into the spotlight. I can’t go around dishing the dirt on those I’m meaning to be leading in the good fight’ ‘But it’s outrageous. You must have thought of that before. You signed the contract. You were satisfied with the terms we proposed …’ ‘It’s got nothing to do with the terms.’ said Joan Pickington wistfully picturing the six figure cheque in her hand. ‘And you can’t pretend it’s not ready. It’s there on the desk, finished.’ Joan Pickington took up the manuscript with the tenderness of a mother nursing her first-born. She stared at it, sighed, stared at it again, and sighed once more. Her heart was aching. The more she reread it, the more of a tragedy it seemed to her that this bundle of laughs should not be given to the world. It was such damn good stuff. Yes, if she did say it herself, such damn good stuff. It was set to rock the British people into just the guffaw they needed at this darkest hour in human history. She had toiled with such love to this great task of erecting a lasting memorial to an epoch British protest history which, if ever an epoch did, deserved its Homer or its Hobsbawm, and she had done it, by Gaia! Unquestionably good stuff. And no one would ever read the damn thing. ‘A book like this is never finished.’ she said ‘I could go on adding to it for the rest of my life.’ Her thoughts glided through the glass office doors and fixed on that motley crew in the Pangolin Pantry. What a tale was yet to come out of those earnest souls. Lord Leathers shifted his weight, preparing his next line of attack.“How about under a pseudonym?” he coaxed. “They”, he gestured over to the laptop workers in a neighbouring room “would never need to know,” “Oh, the depths you’ve sunk to Creeper. It’s all for the money, isn’t it for you these days? What about the movement? What about the revolution?” Lord Leathers threw up his hands at such naivety. “Don’t be ridiculous, Joan. You’d stand a better chance of changing things with a bit of cash and leadership than with the great unwashed over here.” Joan pivoted on her small heels with determination. Lord Leathers had crossed a line.“It’s over, Creeper, and you’d best be on your way before I teach these youngins about what the Lantern Attorney did with your kind in the French Revolution.” The threat was hardly out of her mouth before she regretted it. Joan lamented this violent streak in her words. It was endlessly getting her into trouble. The venom, however, had its intended effect. Lord Leathers fumed and reddened with exasperation and, failing to find another persuasive angle, turned to leave. His timing was poor, for at that moment, a yoga mat was pulled from in front of the doorway, and he was sent tumbling into the wider office space. The slapstick of it produced a general guffaw from the Pangolin Pantry Conga line. Fearing tendrils and guillotines, Lord Leathers recovered his balance and dashed for the exit, even uncharacteristically choosing the stairs for a speedier escape. Yet despite the general gaiety, Joan Pickington watched on with lips pursed. Refusing money often had this silencing effect on her. She sighed, then brightened. The suppression of her masterpiece was the price of a community spirit. If the media team never wanted the internal debaucheries of protest movements to see the light of day, then so be it. For now, the rebellion came first, and there was nothing to regret or sigh about. She smiled lightly in the morning sunshine and started to tap her feet to the Afrobeat. [Sign Up For More Stories](#/portal/signup) --- Get a laugh from this story? **Forward it to a friend**, we could all do with a giggle. **Any feedback?** Drop a me constructive comment! **Want more stories?** [Sign up and donate.](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) ### ❤️‍🔥Another Friend in Prison. Another Fire in My Heart. URL: https://robinboardman.com/another-friend-in-prison/ Last updated: 2024-09-20T12:56:01.000Z Larch Maxey stands as a beacon of resistance in a world teetering on the brink of climate catastrophe. For years, he has fought tirelessly for the survival of our planet against the carbon elite, and now, unjustly, he's been sentenced to three years in prison for his peaceful resistance. This is his story—and ours. I first met Larch in a festival field. We planned to give a talk together on the extinction crisis. We’d only exchanged a few emails beforehand but clicked right away. He moved people in that tent with his tears for our crumbling world. We both did. And then that night, we danced like it was the last day of our lives. Larch is old enough to be my dad, and he’s always treated me with that paternal kindness. But I’d never seen a dad dance like that. It was straight out of 90s rave culture - jittery movements that mesmerised and tickled me. We hugged goodnight and promised to stay in touch. Those dances released us from the fear of a looming storm. We knew the tumultuous days of collapse and repression were ahead, but we steeled ourselves with joy and nonviolent discipline. Over the next two years, we launched British history's biggest civil disobedience campaign. We fought through the tears for our right to a habitable world. During the weeks of rebellion, we blocked roads from 7 am to 3 pm before launching into hours of meetings and media interviews. I’ve never met someone who can sleep so little and yet smile so warmly. Ever the optimist, Larch even approached a local art college and asked students to help him block the Elephant and Castle roundabout. It was a fanciful idea to most, but it worked. Their young energy and enthusiasm made his day. He was so happy that night. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2024/09/Larch-Outside-Prison.jpg) Larch outside Wansworth prison after visiting Roger. As we took five sites across London with thousands of others, Larch led the calvary of colourful resistance. Waterloo Bridge was his castle, and he gave his blood, sweat, and tears to protect it. Larch’s deep resolve mirrors countless others who have laid their bodies on the line, standing firm in the face of a system determined to crush their spirits. Across the rebellion, he was a liaison between the dynamic and emotional sites of resistance, always carrying them with the love of a dad. Afterwards, we camped together after driving across Europe to a climate gathering. Squished together, we told stories late into the night and giggled until our cheeks were sore. His peculiar diet of dumpster diving became known as ‘bin-based’. His particular food choice went from being edible to ‘Larchable’. Whilst I drifted into the isolation of chronic illness, I watched in awe as he scaled trees for weeks to protect ancient woodlands and tunnelled under Euston station and oil refinery roads for weeks on end. He throws his whole life and soul into the movement. For that, he has been jailed for three years. We knew prison was looming over us. We planned for it - we would expose the Government’s criminality by filling their jails as the freedom riders had done for the civil rights movement. Nevertheless, the pain of seeing a friend going to jail still punches me in the stomach. How many more will I see behind bars before our Government switches off its suicidal path? Meanwhile, the real criminals—the fossil fuel companies and governments enabling them—continue their destruction unchecked. Larch’s imprisonment is a stark reminder of the lengths to which those in power will go to silence dissent and maintain their grip on a dying world. All I know is this isn’t a moment to retreat. Larch has a warm determination and a community that will stick by his side. All he would ask of us is to give it our all. To shake off the fear of repression and embrace the life of a resister. The nation's moral compass will be on trial if peaceful protesters fill the jails. How many like Larch will it let be locked up before a mass movement demands their release and no fossil fuels by 2030? His story is not unique. Across the country and worldwide, hundreds are risking everything in the fight for a livable future. Three other tunnelers were jailed. One even tragically took their own life under the pressure of state persecution. A total of 25 Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action supporters fill the rapidly overcrowding British cells. More are being sentenced from Germany to Uganda. These are the individuals leading the charge for our collective justice. Each one means just as much to someone as Larch means to me. As a community, we are grieving. For someone to unjustly lose their freedom or life is always a pain to the whole. Yet, as we wipe aside the tears, we see a new action stage ahead of us. One that continues an age-old fight for the release of political prisoners whilst building the strength for a societal shift. One that resists fossil fuel infrastructure wherever corporate greed decides to pitch it next. We must let our grief, ultimately an expression of love, fuel our fire. When we all burn with the brightness of resistance, will we be ready to win our freedom and lives again? Larch’s match has been lit - he’s waiting for you to help him light that dark cell. You can write to Larch and all other political prisoners via the [Rebels In Prison Support team](https://rebelsinprison.uk/rebels/?ref=robinboardman.com). [Write to Prisoners](https://rebelsinprison.uk/rebels/?ref=robinboardman.com) --- ## Updates **A12 Blockade - The Hague** On Saturday, I gave a rallying speech to thousands during the A12 blockade in The Hague. The blockade, formed between Parliament and the so-called Ministry of Green Growth, was to demand the Government stop giving taxpayers’ money to help fossil fuel companies. We took the motorway during a police strike but later they arrived with stretchers and water cannons, ready to clear the road. During my speech I reminded them that we must face our fears to have the courage to build a new world. My legs were shaking as I spoke of species and human loss; of my friends in prison; of the environmental protectors being murdered around the globe. You can watch the full speech [here](https://youtu.be/bYEsayKNMVo?ref=robinboardman.com). **Social Media Manager** With my renewed vim and vigour, I've reached 100,000s of people on social media. I'm honoured and chuffed to have had such a reach. To help my work go further, I'm now hiring a [social media manager](https://docs.google.com/document/d/13iQCoucTAzMnGRK4eluW4emomqS3YFYAMew6fwsns%5FM/edit?ref=robinboardman.com). If you'd be interested in helping, please reply to this email. Or if you'd like to help, please drop me a donation so I can pay someone to do this work. It will also help cover costs like travel to events like the A12 blockade. Thank you. [Donate](#/portal/signup) --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/me-fly-posting.JPG) ## This is the work. Help fund my youth activism so I can crack on. [Support](#/portal/signup) ### 🔥 Breaking Down The Far Right - Strategies for Resistance URL: https://robinboardman.com/breaking-down-the-far-right/ Last updated: 2024-09-09T07:28:52.000Z *This article was originally published in* [*Resilience*](https://www.resilience.org/stories/2024-08-21/breaking-down-the-far-right-strategies-for-resistance/?ref=robinboardman.com)*.* The far-right riots in the UK were batted aside by many liberal commentators as an inconvenience. A spontaneous, misinformed outburst of social media and “thugs”. In reality, they were a product of neoliberalism and continued colonial racism. The combination has impoverished the majority, enriched the 1% and blamed the resulting problems on migrants. If left unchecked, the far-right will capture the weak, liberal regime and add a British far-right leader to the trend of Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán in Hungary, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Turkey, and Narendra Modi in India. All of these figures represent a broader shift to the right in many liberal democracies, where they manage to gain power through the very institutions meant to protect democracy. It’s time to break down the key factors behind this rise and offer a blueprint for resistance. One that calls out the contradictions of liberalism and builds the path for a democratic revolution. **The Far Right and Liberal Democracy** Liberal democracy, with its emphasis on elections, the rule of law, and separation of powers, is often hailed as a model of governance. However, this system emerged alongside Western colonialism and has always had contradictions. For instance, while promoting freedom at home, these liberal democracies were simultaneously colonising and exploiting large parts of the world. These contradictions are exploited by the far-right to take over liberal institutions and build the keys of fascist power seen in the 1930s. The far right doesn't need to overthrow democracy; instead, it operates within democratic institutions, gradually turning them into tools for their agenda. This isn't a flaw in the liberal system—it's a feature. Neoliberalism, a form of capitalism that prioritises the free market above all else, has eroded the social welfare systems that once softened the harsh edges of capitalism. As these safety nets disappear, far-right policies gain ground, feeding off the failures of neoliberal governance. This is what authors Vijay Prashad and Aijaz Ahmad have called the "[*Intimate Embrace*](https://thetricontinental.org/newsletterissue/ten-theses-on-the-far-right-of-a-special-type/?ref=robinboardman.com)" between Liberalism and the Far Right. They point out that liberalism often paves the way for the far right by embracing policies that undermine the welfare state, militarise society, and increase repression. This isn't a new phenomenon—it's rooted in the very history of capitalism. After World War II, many believed that fascism was defeated, but Marxists recognized that the conditions that gave rise to it—capitalism's contradictions—remained. The far right is not a relic of the past; it is a recurring response to crises within capitalism. In the last 30 years of “hyper capitalism” and ecological collapse, this threat is on the rise. Before we dive into our response, let’s make sure we know how to spot and call out a fascist power grab. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2024/09/culture-as-a-weapon-of-struggle.png) Assemblies are a form of resistance. Woman’s Day function at the Swedish Embassy in Gaborone, Botswana, 1981. Credit: Sergio-Albio Gonzalez via Freedom Park **Ten Signs of Far-Right Power** 1.**Manipulation of Democratic Institutions:** The far right consolidates power by subtly infiltrating educational systems, government agencies, and media to normalise their ideas. They leverage wealthy backers to fund and support politicians who will champion their agenda, ensuring loyalty and advancing their goals of centralising authority. 2\. **Privatisation of State Functions:** The far right supports the privatisation of state services, weakening the government's ability to function effectively while empowering private interests aligned with their goals. 3\. **Repressive State Apparatus:** The far right uses the state's repressive tools—police, surveillance, and laws—to silence opposition and dismantle popular movements. 4\. **Controlled Violence**: The far right incites just enough violence to create fear and division but avoids enough to be directly associated with it, allowing them to maintain plausible deniability. 5\. **Appeal to Alienation:** Advanced capitalism creates isolation and alienation, which the far right exploits by offering a sense of belonging through nationalism, religion, and other forms of identity politics. 6\. **Media Manipulation:** By allying with private media and heavily investing in social media, the far right spreads its ideas widely, creating a sense of urgency and mobilising people based on fear and resentment. 7\. **Infiltration of Society:** The far right establishes itself in various social sectors, from sports clubs to religious organisations, building a mass base by exploiting majoritarian identities. 8\. **Pseudo-Populism:** The far right pretends to represent "the people" against "the elites," but in reality, they are deeply connected to the very oligarchs they claim to oppose. 9\. **International Networks:** The far right is not just a national phenomenon but an international movement, with networks, like Steve Bannon’s *The Movement*, which operate across countries that share resources, strategies, and ideology. 10\. **Global North vs. Global South:** While far-right movements in the Global North focus on defending imperialist privileges, in the Global South, they often seek to undermine sovereignty and promote instability. [Donate to Support Me](#/portal/signup) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2024/09/Screenshot-2024-09-08-170612.png) Snapshots from Community Assemblies **Building The Democratic Alternative** Understanding these dynamics is crucial for anyone fighting against the far right. It's not enough to oppose their policies in isolation; revolutionaries must recognize the deep connection between liberal democracy and the far right. This means building a movement that addresses the root causes of far-right politics—namely, the failures of neoliberalism and the alienation created by advanced capitalism. Therefore we must challenge not just the far right but also the existing liberal institutions that enable it. This involves grassroots organising through local assemblies, like [Cooperation Hull](https://www.cooperationhull.co.uk/?ref=robinboardman.com), that genuinely amplify people's voices and operate independently of the compromised institutions. This shift will create real pathways to power— by building alternative institutions, organised mass protest (like rent and tax strikes), and by electing radical independents, such as [Assemble](https://timetoassemble.org/?ref=robinboardman.com) candidates, who resist further cuts to public services. Community organising, such as door knocking and phone banking, should evolve from mere vote-gathering to an ongoing commitment to build participatory democratic cultures capable of facing future challenges. Success hinges on a new communal narrative that counters the nihilistic allure of far-right ideologies. In a world where neoliberalism's shallow individualism is failing, our resistance must demonstrate that we are not mere consumers. True community arises through confrontation, and such confrontation can only be meaningful if it is deeply rooted in the community itself. This means building solidarity across different social movements, and creating alternative institutions that can meet people's needs without resorting to the far right's divisive and repressive tactics. In this struggle, it's important to remember that the far right thrives on fear, isolation, and anger. By building a movement based on solidarity, compassion, and a shared vision of a just society, we can offer a powerful alternative to the politics of hate and division. The fight against the far right is not just a political struggle—it's a battle for the soul of society. By understanding the roots of this movement and organising effectively against it, we can create a world where justice, equality, and true democracy are more than just ideals, but realities for all. [Sign up for Assemble](https://timetoassemble.org/events/?ref=robinboardman.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2024/09/image-2.png) House of the People Event --- I've taken my video skills to a new level by simplifying this article for a wider audience. Please check out this 4min video version and share! (It's already been banned on TikTok) --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/me-fly-posting.JPG) ## This is the work. Help fund my youth activism so I can crack on. [Support](#/portal/signup) ### 🌇 There’s A Future Beyond Economic Growth - Let’s Build It URL: https://robinboardman.com/theres-a-future-beyond-economic-growth/ Last updated: 2024-08-19T13:11:21.000Z Yesterday in Kiel, Germany I joined the [global movement against extractivism](https://linktr.ee/stopextractivism?ref=robinboardman.com) \- the harmful exploitation of natural resources. Across the globe, communities stood up for the action wave against new, dangerous mining projects. Hundreds marched in Barroso, Portugal and thousands more in Serbia. The movement is growing. *This is a transcript of my speech on the Kiel waterfront:* It's time for the hyper-consumption of our society to die. The endless grasping for more, more, more is exhausting the human spirit. We are so much more than what we consume—the cars, the gadgets, the clothes. They are all symptoms of the loneliness capitalism instils in us. We search for safety in material gain and status. Advertisers hunt for our emotional weaknesses, like vultures, ready to strike on the fearful and vulnerable. It's in the wake of their wanton waste—an eye-watering amount of pollution clogging up the arteries of our planets—that we attack the status quo. We tell them that they can't have their cake and eat it. The elite can’t have hyper-consumption and renewable energy at the same time. The two can't be combined. As soon as you rape ancient woodlands for lithium, you are destroying nature’s chances of survival. In other words, you are destroying our chances of survival. This overexploitation, this destruction of all we hold dear, this isn't the way forward. Destroying nature's right to exist and creating so-called ‘renewables’ is a toxic waste to our planet. There's another way. There's a simpler, easier, more loving way forward. It's the way my grandparents taught me. It's the way Indigenous people have lived for centuries—to live in harmony with the world around us, to not take more than what you need, to repair what's broken, to allow time for healing. I have been to Barroso, the Portuguese camp against a massive lithium mine— the project will destroy a beautiful World Heritage site in the name of so-called progress, of so-called green growth. It's a lie. It's a corrupt, toxic lie. The amount of water they need to pump this mine will wreck Portugal, a country that's already being destroyed by desertification and climate breakdown. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2024/08/lakes-borroso.jpg) The Lakes around Barroso. My snap from visiting last year. People there have a simple way of living, a way that should be a role model to us here in Kiel, here across the Western world **—**a way of living simply with our natural surroundings. Instead, the lithium mine will kill off their culture and their way of living. We're seeing it all across the world—Indigenous land is being colonised once again by neo-colonial forces. This is an attack on the guardians of precious knowledge. Knowledge that can really protect this blue, precious sphere that we call home. Beyond that, there’s just the dark cosmos - nothing else. Across the world, we are in resistance to such delusion and violence. The odds are so stacked against us. We're not millions of people right here now, we're not even hundreds, and it breaks my heart. But we are in resistance. The Portuguese grandmothers in resistance in Portugal shared the same saying as the Serbian grandmothers - numbers don’t matter, community matters. Whatever happens in the struggle, at least we got to meet each other. At least we got to meet other caring, compassionate people. Sometimes the challenge seems insurmountable but that community is a new, revolutionary way of living. I say "new" to us here in the isolated, atomized, capitalist West, but actually, it's a very old system of living, a very beautiful way of living in harmony as a community. As a community, we can resist encroaching fossil fuel fascism. We can resist the death of endless species. As we stand here in Kiel, a trigger point of the 1918 German revolution, I want to call on you to rise up against imperial power once again. To recognize our strength as a community and to flourish in the honesty of our truth. In other words—to really live our lives. The corrupt state will throw everything they've got against us. We are revolutionaries, after all. In the UK, [26 of my friends are currently in prison](https://juststopoil.org/2024/08/06/five-more-just-stop-oil-supporters-remanded-to-prison-as-total-incarcerated-for-climate-action-rises-to-26/?ref=robinboardman.com) for resistance. As they were locked away they were told they had no defence. That mentioning climate change or fuel poverty in court is illegal. It's outrageous. It's the slow corruption of our system by fascism, which will destroy massive parts of the world if we allow fossil fuels and these mining projects to continue. But together, we can resist. We can make a new world possible. We can start right here in Kiel. It's time to put our bodies on the line. It's time for a revolution. Thank you. --- For more info, I recommend reading Jason Hickel's book, [Less is More](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781786091215?ref=robinboardman.com), on decolonialism, extractivism and degrowth (plus losts of positive sounding words..!). For films on extractivism and to find communities in resistance across the globe, click [here](https://linktr.ee/stopextractivism?ref=robinboardman.com). [Join the Resistance](https://linktr.ee/stopextractivism?ref=robinboardman.com) --- ## Updates - My health is on top form here in sunny Flensburg (north Germany, on the Danish border). I've been putting some of my newfound energy into making videos 📹I've made 1 min clips on the [WholeTruthFive](https://youtube.com/shorts/OODmLcRlFh4?feature=share&ref=robinboardman.com), [Why Just Stop Oil Disrupt](https://youtube.com/shorts/Gq9kMt2yKns?feature=share&ref=robinboardman.com) and [How Protestors Pushed Kamala Harris To Be More Progressive](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-nJ2giqr2E/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fcopy%5Flink&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==). Collectively they have had over 35,000 views! Incredible for my first whirl at short, social media content. All are available on [Tiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/@robin.boardman?ref=robinboardman.com), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/robinboardman/reels/?ref=robinboardman.com) and [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@RobinBoardmanUK?ref=robinboardman.com). - I've managed to have my first calls and emails with Roger in prison. Together we're supercharging progress on our new book, Designing The Revolution, and a campaign to free the truth tellers. Watch this space! --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/me-fly-posting.JPG) ## This is the work. Help fund my youth activism so I can crack on. [Support](#/portal/signup) ### You Can't Lock Up The Truth URL: https://robinboardman.com/you-cant-lock-up-the-truth/ Last updated: 2024-07-23T05:02:49.000Z The democratic rule of law is crumbling in the UK. Increasing numbers of peaceful campaigners are being imprisoned while exercising their right to demonstrate, even as UK prisons overflow. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood warns of a “*total breakdown of law and order*” if action isn't taken. Yet, the Government plans to release violent criminals early due to overcrowding, while imprisoning peaceful protestors under the draconian Anti-Protest Bill. This is a gross injustice to our democracy. Last week, the [#WholeTruthFive](https://x.com/search?q=%23WholeTruthFive&src=typeahead%5Fclick&ref=robinboardman.com) recieved 4-5 year prison sentences for merely participating in Zoom call to organise resistance to the carbon corrupted state. The judge barred them from explaining their motives to the jury, despite the scientific consensus on the catastrophic consequences of continued fossil fuel use. We’re on track for 3-4 degrees Celsius of increased warming above the pre-industrial average by the end of the century. This would lead to a billion climate refugees, millions of excess deaths and the loss of ordered civil society (including democracy and the rule of law). When the five defendants tried to explain this to the jury, they were arrested and repeatedly imprisoned for contempt of court. It is shocking to most UK citizens that if accused of a crime, they may find themselves in front of jury unable in their defence to explain their action, or why they acted as they did. Historically Juries have acted as a ‘democratic safety valve’ refusing to convict defendants when governments have passed bad or unjust laws. Right now in British Courts both of these important democratic rights are being eroded, defendants are being silenced and juries are being denied the whole truth of cases. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2024/07/whole-truth-robin-1.jpg) Holding my engraved truth necklace in support of the Whole Truth Five. Such attempts to stifle democracy and peaceful dissent are increasingly common across the justice system. United Nations Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders Michel Forst has expressed “grave concerns” about the UK’s severe crackdowns on environmental defenders. He reminded the UK government of its duty to facilitate the right to protest and noted that some disruption to society is to be expected. **It’s time to face the truth. Stop trying to lock it up.** Forst also issued a Letter of Allegation stating the UK may be breaching the Aarhus Convention, a international law which protects peaceful protestors from being penalised or harassed. Daniel Shaw, a former social worker with no prior convictions, exemplifies this. Held in prison for 113 days before trial and repeatedly denied bail, he was released with strict restrictions on seeing friends and attending protests. Such repression has been building for years. The UN Rapporteur cited cases like a six-month prison sentence for a brief protest march and arrests for holding signs about jury rights, a principle enshrined in UK law since the 17th century. Remember Xavi Gonzales-Trimmer? He took his life at age 21 amid fears of further, traumatising imprisonment for non-violent protest. Other protestors have been jailed for merely mentioning “climate change” and “fuel poverty” in court. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Others, like Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker spent years in prison for hanging a banner above the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. Decker is a German national and now faces deportation, which would separate him from his partner and step-children. **Why are such people being punished so harshly and banned from telling the whole truth about what is motivating their protests in court?** Well, in the past such evidence has convinced jury after jury that they should not be prosecuted. In April 2021, protestors were acquitted of damaging Shell’s headquarters after arguing their actions were necessary and proportionate due to the company’s role in climate change. Similarly, others were acquitted of spraying fake blood on the Treasury after they highlighted to the jury the harm such financial institutions are doing by continuing to invest in fossil fuels. Ordinary people recognize and respond to the truth when they hear it. The government's response is to silence them. We must defend both the truth and the rights of those who speak it. [Today I join 1000+ cultural figures, community leaders and experts](https://defendourjuries.org/wtf/?ref=robinboardman.com) to demand an urgent public meeting between Chris Packham and the new Attorney General, Richard Hermer KC, to discuss the UK adhering to its international commitments and more humane treatment of peaceful protestors. Without peaceful protest and a fair trial, we have no democracy. --- ## Updates - Sadly I had to drop out of University after a relapse in my [Long Covid symptoms](https://robinboardman.com/four-lessons-for-the-long-haul/) left me largely paraylsed the last few months. With the summer breeze, reunited love and a fresh round of medication, I've been doing heaps better. - I've moved to the Netherlands! I'll be working remotely on upcoming books, articles and going to the Degrowth festival Altshift over the summer. Hit me up if you're around. > [ View this post on Instagram ](https://www.instagram.com/p/C9rvwqlqYK6/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) > > [A post shared by Robin Boardman (@robinboardman)](https://www.instagram.com/p/C9rvwqlqYK6/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fembed&utm%5Fcampaign=loading) --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/me-fly-posting.JPG) ## This is the work. Help fund my youth activism so I can crack on. [Support](#/portal/signup) ### 🥚A Handshake and An Egg: Protesting For Palestine URL: https://robinboardman.com/a-handshake-and-an-egg-protesting-for-palestine/ Last updated: 2024-02-16T16:27:06.000Z As I held a banner and chanted along in Bristol Broadmead I felt a growing tightness in my chest. No, not another bout of Covid, thank Gaia, but a familiar, sinking feeling of knowing I have something to say but being too nervous to do it. Eventually I asked the masked student behind the microphone if I could add my two pennies worth. In that old egalitarian and trusting nature of protest, he quickly obliged. For two minutes I poured out my heart to the passing shoppers. The message was clear - Barclays Bank has invested £3bn in arms companies that bolster the Israeli massacre and it's time to ditch them. I asked them to open their hearts this Valentine's day to the Palestinian people and join us in resistance. A few waved and cheered, the majority walked on by. As I passed the mike back along the picketline a bald, stocky man approached me. After seeing several others of this demographic swear and rave at us over the last hour, I steeled myself for another red faced tirade. Deep breaths - remember the nonviolence training. In fact, the man, without a word, simply stuck out his hand for a congratulatory shake of mine. Safe to say I was surprised and touched. C’mon Robin - don’t judge a book by its cover. Scarcely a minute later, as I was warming to this crowd of handshaking spectators, I felt sharp pain and a cold slime drip down my exposed fingers. Two grey tracksuit clad kids dashed past my vision, blurring out of sight like chased squirrels. They had egged us - smearing the banner and my clothes in yolky whiteness. For my two minutes on the mike I had earnt one handshake and one egg. And protesting was ever thus! At least the muslim mum next to me remained chipper - they'd have to do worse than that to get her off the banner. In fact, my speech and the eggs had roused her. She got the mike passed down the line and told the tale, assuredly and emotionally, of the 6-year old Hind Rajab. Hind had begged rescuers to send help after being trapped by Israeli military fire, only to meet the same fate as the other 10,000 dead children in Gaza. The crowd was moved to silence. The air took on a new weight with her words. For how do we find the words for such a tragedy? From our open mike sharing, each voice gaining courage from the last, I learnt that it's only together that we can express the true depth and horror of what Palestinians face. Luckily a wizard with words, the Bristol musician Dizraeli, came to our aid with a punchy poem to knock Barclays into the gutter. The [clip](https://youtube.com/shorts/bYQ6LOreeyg?feature=share&ref=robinboardman.com) is well worth a watch. There is a pain so deep in the movement for Palestine that from it are lifted the very best of poets. The raw rage and open grief make my heart pound like a drum to their rhythm. The union was complete, the crowd whole - if only for a minute. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. Shaking off the last egg shell, I cycled straight to the Student Union with a plan - a [student assembly for peace in the middle east.](https://docs.google.com/document/d/14Iu8B3kEKMlQuzFnu5rLZwcpcas3mea%5FSp6qyxqz1Ok/edit?ref=robinboardman.com) The University's chummy attitude to the worst beasts of war-profiteering, both banks and the arm companies themselves, has gone too far. We students, as a community, have got to come together to challenge them. Not only for a shot at change, but also for a chance at healing our own internal pain. Palestinian and Jewish students have been through the mill of constant grief and isolation. The University paid lip service to them at the beginning of term - meeting once with the affected Palestinian students and issuing a warning message against Hamas - but it’s time for more. We have to push our sleepy neoliberal institutions into hotbeds of democracy. To gather, debate and unite with a manifesto for change. With this vision in mind, I pulled the available student officers aside and put forward my dream for a mass march for peace. The situation is desperate. As the Israeli forces prepare their assault on the 1.5 million refugees in Rafah, we’ve got to throw everything we’ve got at a chance for a ceasefire. The cracks across Western government’s support for the siege are beginning to show. By building plans in popular assemblies and acting on them with nonviolent resistance, we stand a shot at pushing our Foreign Office’s shaky conscience towards negotiating a ceasefire. It won't be easy. Despite the fact that 70% of the public support a ceasefire, 70% of MPs abstained or voted against it. What could be a clearer sign that our democracy has been betrayed? As Mark Curtis [writes this week](https://www.declassifieduk.org/gaza-shows-britain-is-an-oligarchy-lets-stop-pretending-it-isnt/?ref=robinboardman.com), "Our leaders are our biggest threat. If we don't democratise our system, we'll be killing foreigners and promoting wars forever." All the more reason to organise a democratic revolution, before all hope falls through our fingers. The plan is in motion. My heart is open and ready for the twists and turns ahead. Though both have been fleeced beyond recognition by the pernicious and atomising effects of neoliberalism, community and struggle are our best options. Rebuilding them is our greatest hope. --- ## Updates - I'm branching out into video! Thanks to my kind [donors](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup), I've managed to invest some equipment to start a video version of this blog - a vlog some youngsters amongst you might call it. I've turned this article into a video to kick things off. Check it out, give me feedback and subscribe for more. - I've been busy in between bouts of illness in helping to build Roger Hallam's [new website](https://rogerhallam.com/?ref=robinboardman.com). We're working together on a new leadership project called Revolution in the 21st Century. Watch this space! --- If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/me-fly-posting.JPG) ## This is the work. Help fund my youth activism so I can crack on. [Support](#/portal/signup) ### 💭How does he do it? The Habits behind Noam Chomsky URL: https://robinboardman.com/the-habits-behind-chomsky/ Last updated: 2024-07-07T19:30:06.000Z Noam Chomsky had a profound effect on me during my first year at University. After a year of volunteering, I found the world outside my student bubble in a terrible state. Nothing I did seemed to make a difference. Such futility led me to my first bout of depression. During the end of my first term studying Modern Languages, Chomsky's name as an eminent linguist popped into my reading list. From there it was only a short space of time before I was keenly hunting the library for more of his work. His words, particularly in “[Understanding Power](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9780099466062?ref=robinboardman.com)”, helped me to connect the dots of inequality, exploitation and violence as fundamental roots of the painful world around me. I had to sink deeper into that darkness before I could see the light in his words. [Small groups of people can really make a difference](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUa9iMMyMpE&ref=robinboardman.com). Just as he had with a few others in ending the genocide in East Timor. This stirred me into action over the summer break. I read incessantly and searched anarchist bookshops for new titles on how to make change happen. I attended my first activist meetings in Croydon, Manchester and Bristol, searching for my community. It was from that Manchester gathering of People and Planet that I met Frieda Luerken and Roger Hallam - two of my good friends who would later go on to become fellow cofounders of Extinction Rebellion. This has led me to wonder: how many other activist projects have started from the Chomsky ripple effect? As Noam Chomsky turned 95 this week, I’d like to share a few, distilled insights into the man behind the wisdom in the hope that more of us can go on to inspire and lead such profound change in the world. ## **Habits:** - **Focus on Broad Values** \- Rather than focus on “What do we want”, Noam believes that broad values for a better future are all that we need to offer, plus practice, practice, and more practice. Noam feels that to pre-think and set forth institutional vision in advance could curb our creativity in the moment. Whilst some like to paint their visions, Noam believes in keeping your mind and your plans open. This can be particularly helpful for bringing various groups together under a single banner of change, rather than quibbling about the end point. - **Use Out-of-the-Box Analogies** \- Chomsky operates outside of the box by using thought experiments to break down our biases. He finds structurally similar positions and asks us why such core features are treated so differently. For example, he draws comparisons between U.S. media dynamics and old Soviet media dynamics, or U.S. foreign policy versus the behaviour of Mafia dons. In doing so, he reveals the exceptionalism at the heart of so many arguments and pushes for greater equality. - **Logic** \- As a philosopher and scientist, Noam values the logic of arguments above all else. That goes for his own arguments too. He even has frequently worried that his words would be unduly attended by his listeners and not sufficiently criticised or examined. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. - **Civility** \- Whilst Chomsky may remark that another’s argument is “trivial” or dumb, he is always pointing to the argument itself, not the person. This civility in debate helps open the door for further and deeper discussion. - **Memory** \- Chomsky trains his memory to remember both the broad strokes and the fine details, making him agile to adjust to in-depth writing or public speaking. The major benefit of this is that he is instantly able to pick up old work as soon as he sits down rather than faffing with notes or rereading. - **Diligence** \- Unsurprisingly, Noam spends extraordinary amounts of time working, either giving talks and interviews all day or even ensconcing himself in his office while on summer holiday to read and write. Such a work ethic has given him ample time to read recent books and studies and thereby criticise the media's propaganda around related events. - **Don’t bemoan, seek better** \- Chomsky’s work clearly points out that whilst things all around are abysmal and that violence and injustice are even greater than they seem, the need to resist and seek better is evident and paramount. He often points to the rapid success of social movements in bringing about previously unthinkable dreams, like having a black president of the US and greater equality for women. For a deeper dive into these insights, check out their source: Micheal Albert's latest article for ZNetwork, [Chomsky at 95: No Strings On Him](https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/noam-chomsky-at-95-no-strings-on-him/?ref=robinboardman.com). --- ## Updates **Just Stop Oil Students Bristol** Following the last wave of action in London that saw many students arrested and imprisoned, some, like my friend Ben, are now facing the legal consequences. Ben joined a wave of student protests across the country to call Universities into civil disobedience, painting iconic university buildings with orange paint. What else could break the cognitive dissonance of these ivory towers? Ben was arrested by 6 police officers and dragged off campus into a Patchway cell. He's just been given an unconditional discharge - the lightest of penalties - but it comes with a £331 fine. The time is nigh for academics to act on their words - to act as if the science is real and break the unjust laws of our society. To cut their ties with Barclays, the biggest funder of fossil fuels. To keep fossil fuel companies off campus. Teaching the young about their bright futures while digging their graves is heinous. Ben has given his all for the movement - now living with a restrictive police tag around his ankle. If you can, please donate to our student group to say thanks. We'll use the funds to cover the court fees and purchase clothes printing equipment for future, stylish fundraisers. [Donate to JSO Bristol Students](https://chuffed.org/project/104997-help-bristol-student-court-fees?ref=robinboardman.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/12/ben-painting.JPG) My artwork of Ben's Action "We Tried" - Just Stop Oil's bid for Christmas #1. > If there are only two words on my gravestone, I want them to be "We Tried"🪦[pic.twitter.com/vnGcpCTMc9](https://t.co/vnGcpCTMc9?ref=robinboardman.com) > > — Robin Boardman (@RobinBoardmanUK) [December 9, 2023](https://twitter.com/RobinBoardmanUK/status/1733407887429664836?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) If you liked this post, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Share ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/me-fly-posting.JPG) ## This is the work. Help fund my youth activism so I can crack on. [Support](#/portal/signup) ### 🌪️Shaping the Storm: 5 Reasons to Not Leave Twitter/𝕏 URL: https://robinboardman.com/5-reasons-to-not-leave-twitter/ Last updated: 2023-10-15T02:03:40.000Z It feels like not a day can go by without an 𝕏 scandal. The platform has recently become a scorching hotbed of disinformation, climate denial and bots. Many have been hurt and burnt in the process. Thousands of climate scientists have already left. In fact, almost half of regular American green tweeters have gone quiet. Many are seeking safety in smaller, greener pastures like Threads, Bluesky and Mastodon. Some have asked me to join them. Yet, despite the challenges, there's an enormous potential for community organising on 𝕏. So, here's why I am staying and how you too can harness this turbulent storm towards collective action. ### **1\. Be The News** Twitter's power for agenda-setting is unparalleled. Most politicians and media outlets have employees dedicated to surveying the platform. They synthesise key posts, give briefings and thereby prioritise their news coverage. With our massive online communities we can get our foot in that meeting room door. This month we sent a climate scientist's post straight to the Guardian frontpage. “I’m still struggling to comprehend how a single year can jump so much compared to previous years” it leads. Many other outlets used Climate Twitter quotes like “Gobsmackingly bananas” to describe the phenomenon. Just like that, we turned crucial scientific data into a meme. We leveraged 𝕏’s reach and shaped public discourse. That’s no small feat. Next, we must sharpen our effectiveness. We must focus not just on the disasters but also on those responsible. **ACTION:** Boost the memes of climate scientists like [ @DrJamesEHansen](https://twitter.com/DrJamesEHansen?ref=robinboardman.com) and researchers like @LeonSimons8 ### **2\. Challenge Corporate Media** Twitter remains the epicentre of politics and media discussion. To be part of it, we must engage with policymakers and journalists directly. Even if that means working on Big Tech platforms we disagree with. That's where we have a voice to subvert the mainstream environmental coverage lies. For example, sympathy and signups for Just Stop Oil skyrocketed after a TalkTV debate. The Murdoch-owned station presenter bizarrely claimed "You can grow concrete" to a sustainable builder. Within minutes, the ludicrous clip went viral. People could see the bullshit we are up against for what it was, baseless denial. **ACTION:** Share the media criticism of @TTTMediaXR & @MediaLens (UK) + @DeSmog & @MMFA (USA) ### **3\. Deflate Deniers** Twitter ranks worst for Climate Disinformation [among social media](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/20/twitter-x-musk-climate-misinformation-social-platforms?ref=robinboardman.com). Recently, hashtags like #ClimateScam have surged. I admit, it's tempting to tackle these falsehoods head-on or run to the door. Yet, in reality, you would only be fighting a swarm of bots and conspiracists or fleeing to a smaller echo chamber. It's futile. As scientist Julia Steinberg notes, eventually it "becomes a full-time job". Instead, we must learn that there is a power in ignoring the online deniers. After all, engaging will often only amplify their message even further. Vested interests have paid bots to oxygenate their lies. Our rebuttals won't change that. Blue Ticks won’t change that. The only way is to challenge those vested interests. How? We must focus our precious energy on what will make a difference - the mobilisation of resistance. **ACTION:** Stick to the “Following” tab. Block intrusive deniers. Join safer community spaces like Climate Twitter and [Just Stop Oil Supporters](https://twitter.com/i/communities/1709893382506496469?ref=robinboardman.com). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/podcast-cover.png) ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. ### **4\. Mobilise, Mobilise, Mobilise** Twitter is the hub of breaking news. Other platforms compete for communities but not for news. On a platform like Mastodon, the news is slower and often preaches to the choir. With Twitter there's a chance of breaking into a bigger, more powerful audience. That's the audience we want to reach. The shock of reading climate science news creates a small window of opportunity. For that moment, you have their attention and emotional investment. Seize that chance to offer them a concrete pathway to change. For a chance of mass mobilisation, we need to meet ordinary people where they are. Then we offer them a tangible roadmap out of this mess. **ACTION:** Add pathway-to-action links in your tweets! Although the algorithm generally dislikes links you can put them in your bio, pinned to your profile and at the bottom of a thread. I recommend adding “Sign up to civil resistance at juststopoil.org” ### **5\. Global Solidarity** During the Arab Spring, Twitter became a vital source of activist updates and coordination. Recently it was the [foremost activist community in Nigeria](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448231172967?ref=robinboardman.com) against police brutality. If we jump platforms, we’d only be leaving those communities of resistance behind. They don’t have the time to be pulled around the various smaller alternatives. Many rely on Twitter to share the horrific injustice they face. It’s our responsibility to keep sharing it. **ACTION:** Connect with Global South leaders like @Studenteacop, the Uganda Justice Movement, @JusticeUg256 and @STOPMAANGAMIZI ... Staying on 𝕏 isn't just about weathering the storm. It's about actively shaping the whirlwinds of news into collective action and community. By challenging the corporate media we can push humanity’s survival to its rightful place. The top of the agenda. --- ## Actions News 1. **The Dutch did it!** After a month of blocking the A12 highway, the Dutch Parliament has now voted for a motion to investigate cutting fossil fuel subsidies. This is how civil resistance works! Congratulations to all involved and cheering from the sidelines 🎇 2. **Just Stop Oil Students** In the build up to 3 weeks of action in November, students have been giving our fossil fuel campuses a makeover. Falmouth, Exeter, Oxford, Cambridge and even my very own Bristol University have all been painted orange to mark their fossil fuel alliances. This is just the warm up! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/ben-jso-bristol.jpg) Well played Ben! > Walked out of my History class to find students making history📜 > > It's time for [@BristolUni](https://twitter.com/BristolUni?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) to drop fossil fuel alliances. Listen to Ben explain why 👇 [https://t.co/Rjooqi2izn](https://t.co/Rjooqi2izn?ref=robinboardman.com) > > — Robin Boardman (@RobinBoardmanUK) [October 9, 2023](https://twitter.com/RobinBoardmanUK/status/1711386434303565846?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) A welcome surprise! If you liked this article, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. We need to build an online presence, not hide in the niches. I'm a new blogger so I welcome all comments and feedback from your bright minds on this controversial suggestion. Share ## ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/me-fly-posting.JPG) ## This is the work. Help fund my youth activism so I can crack on. [Support](#/portal/signup) ### Inheriting Revolution: Common Sense Solutions for Collapse URL: https://robinboardman.com/inheriting-revolution-a-vision-in-the-face-of-collapse/ Last updated: 2023-10-04T08:08:41.000Z Humanity faces a crisis of unprecedented proportions – a double-edged sword threatening both our planet and its people. On one side, there's the looming spectre of ecological disaster, where putting carbon in the atmosphere and other Earth System pressures are pushing the planet ‘well outside a safe operating space for humanity’. A recent [peer-reviewed study](https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/16/6074?ref=robinboardman.com) put it bluntly: > “If warming reaches or exceeds 2°C this century, mainly richer humans will be responsible for *killing* roughly 1 billion mainly poorer humans” On the other, a vast portion of the global population is deprived of even the most basic necessities. Nearly half the world cannot afford nutritious food, 50 percent lack safe sanitation, and 70 percent go without necessary healthcare. This deprivation isn't confined to the outskirts of society; it seeps into the Global North too. In the United States, almost half the population can't afford healthcare, and in the United Kingdom, 4.3 million children live in poverty. These issues are compounded by brutal inequalities of race and gender, further deepening the social crisis. At the heart of this turmoil lies a common enemy – the wild west economics of Neoliberalism. An inherently undemocratic system that focuses on profit geared markets. While we might vote for representatives, our say in the business is virtually nonexistent. They are controlled by money - the major corporations, financial giants, and the top 1 percent of the world's wealthy. Their objective? To maximise profit - not to meet human or ecological needs. To such ends, businesses even indulge in perverse, highly profitable products like SUVs, fast fashion, and fossil fuels, while essentials like public transit, healthcare, and renewable energy are chronically underproduced. This dynamic isn't just confined within national borders; it extends its grasp globally, draining essential labour and resources from the Global South to fuel the flagrant wealth of the Global North. To tackle this colossal challenge, we need a revolutionary shift in our approach. We must fight for control over finance and workplaces, reorganising them around the twin goals of well-being and ecology. But how can we achieve this? Here are the key steps: **1\. Democratise:** Both workplaces and governments should have more ways, like Mini-Publics (Citizens Assemblies), to engage people in decision making. Across the board, this has been found to produce more progressive outcomes for people and planet. **2\. Universal Public Services:** Essential services like healthcare, education, and housing must be accessible to everyone. **3\. Public Works Programs with a Job Guarantee:** Invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency and ecosystem restoration with guaranteed fair wage jobs. This approach not only fulfils ecological objectives but also abolishes unemployment and economic insecurity. **4\. Scale Down Less-Necessary Goods:** Reduce production in destructive industries, like fossil fuels and fast fashion. Extend the lifespan of products and ban planned obsolescence. **5\. Wealth Redistribution:** Implement wealth taxes and maximum income ratios to curb excessive consumption by the rich. Right now *millionaires alone* are on track to burn 72 percent of the remaining carbon budget to keep the planet under 1.5°C of warming. This is an egregious assault on humanity and the living world, and none of us should accept it. International solidarity is crucial. Excessive energy use in the Global North must decline, while the other countries reclaim and reorganise their economies to essential needs. We must support Global South governments in their quest for sovereign development and ensure economic justice. This path isn't just utopian dreaming; it's grounded in the science of what’s necessary and widely popular. The change we seek is attainable, but it won't come on its own. Environmentalists, unions, and progressive movements must unite in a fierce political struggle against those benefiting from the existing system. This isn't a time for minor tweaks; it's a time for revolutionary change. The political elite is trapped in a reformist paradigm that denies the upcoming atrocities of social and ecological collapse. Take the “Green Growth” approach of Bidenomics which invests in renewables while approving new oil pipelines. Or Sunak’s leasing of 100 new oil and gas projects which Starmer’s Labour refuses to renege. Just one of these recently approved projects, Rosebank, would have the lifetime emissions of 90 countries. This is no less than a genocidal denial of the science and the rights of young people. ## Sign up for Citizen's Assemble A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. In the face of immense challenges, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. The struggle for a more just world demands our unwavering commitment, and in this battle, we must draw inspiration from the revolutionary leaders of the past. Thomas Sankara, the visionary leader of Burkina Faso, once declared, '*we are the heirs of the world's revolutions*'. His words echo a profound truth – every positive change we enjoy today is the legacy of past revolutionary forces. Consider this: the very concept of a minimum wage, as inadequate as it might be, exists because of the relentless fight of revolutionary movements. Our weekends, our ability to exercise even limited forms of democracy – all these are not mere gifts from benevolent authorities. They are the hard-won victories of brave souls who dared to challenge the status quo. These weren't easy battles; they were struggles against deeply entrenched systems of power. Yet, against all odds, they persevered. These victories stand as testaments to the indomitable spirit of humanity – a spirit that refuses to bow down to injustice and inequality. We are the torchbearers of this legacy. We inherit the courage, resilience, and determination of those who fought before us. It's not just a historical legacy; it's a living, breathing force that drives us forward. When we fight for fair wages, equal rights, and a liveable future, we are walking in the footsteps of giants. So, let's embrace our role as heirs of the world's revolutions. Let's carry the torch of justice and equality forward into humanity’s darkest hour. Together, we can overcome, because the spirit of revolution courses through our veins. The change we seek begins with us, and in our unity, lies the power to transform the world. **Call to Action:** Join the resistance at [https://juststopoil.org/](https://juststopoil.org/?ref=robinboardman.com) --- If you liked this story, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Sharing our visions of resistance is such a powerful motivator to fight on. I'm a new blogger so I welcome all comments and feedback from your bright minds. Share ## ## Actions News Day 24 in the Hague. The Dutch have now been joined by the fine Germans of Letzte Generation! They can't be stopped but fossil fuel subsidies can. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/10/hague-day-23.png) Smiling through it all! ### ### A World Without Magic: The Tale of a Dying Ocean🧜🏼‍♂️ URL: https://robinboardman.com/the-death-of-ocean-magic/ Last updated: 2023-09-25T07:04:56.000Z > *Fresh-water springs come up through bitter brine.* > – Tennyson Arriving in Portugal I met a painfully familiar challenge – Covid. The once ubiquitous, now furtive flu hurled me into isolation and despair. I have chronic migraines and fatigue from my last bout with Covid, so I was seized with the dread of what this second iteration would bring. And sure enough, my first weeks in a beloved country became clouded by illness. Then a ray of light broke through. Ocean Rebellion was coming to town. Last year, Ocean Rebellion had protested outside the [UN Oceans Conference](https://oceanrebellion.earth/2022-un-ocean-conference-lisbon/?ref=robinboardman.com) in Lisbon, decrying the wanton destruction of the world’s largest ecosystem. Now, its star Portuguese activist, Rita Cruz, was continuing the legacy for Water Day. So when my fever cleared, I called her to offer my services as a mermaid corpse for the upcoming performance by the Merpeople. They state: “*All life is connected to, and by, the Ocean.* *The death of the Ocean is the death of magic, the magic of our imaginations. The Merpeople represent the ‘death of magic’ by their entanglement in our cruel industrial fishing methods. They help reconnect us to our childhood wonder of the Ocean and warn us this wonder will soon be lost.”* In Portugal, the struggle for water is fought on multiple fronts. At sea, one of the most disastrous practices is bottom trawling. Across the seven seas, boats drag jumbo jet-sized nets along the seabed to catch fish. This heavily subsided fishing is estimated to emit more CO2 than global aviation and waste 50kg of fish for every kg that arrives on land. On land, they face the largest open pit mine in Europe. Planned in the World Heritage Site, Covas de Barroso, the Lithium mine will use 510 million litres of water every year. The Iberian peninsula is already suffering from its driest climate for 1,200 years. In April it broke the record by hitting 39C. In the arid Alentejo region, agro-industry sucks 90% of water to export fruits and flowers. The current forecast is that regional water reserves will run out in 3 to 5 years. Let that sink in. Food and water security are failing. Droughts and desertification are rising. This is the beginning of a nation’s collapse. ## Sign up to Citizen's Assemble ### A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. It was against this bleak backdrop that my partner and I joined the Merpeople’s performance. On the busy shores of Lisbon’s urban beach, torsos bared, we were coated thinly with blue and white paint, and my partner’s face lit up as a fellow-mermaid transformed her appearance. That feeling of being in the rebel community is one of the sweetest in life, and it struck me that when you’re surrounded by caring, free spirits, you’re at home – no matter where. We transitioned to our positions, squirmed into flippers, donned crowns of washed-up plastic waste and flopped on the beach steps while nets were cast over us. Transformed into a captive human fish, I drifted into a meditative gaze as the crimson sun waned into purple darkness. In my periphery, I could see the excited ogling of onlookers and the looming lens of a camera. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/09/headshot-dead-mermaid.jpg) Me as a Mermaid Corpse But all protests are subject to hitches. After 20 minutes splayed out semi-nude, the cool chill of a feigned death began to sink in – and our Water March supporters were nowhere to be seen. We took a blanket and hot-drink break and waited anxiously for updates. All marches should be slow. It’s part of their power. Disruption and spectacle shouldn’t be rushed. But as I felt my nipples turn an even darker shade of blue, I hoped this one would speed up. The purple sunset sank deeper into the night. The esplanade street lamps flickered on and the scene took on a new atmosphere. We were no longer just the cold, dead remnants of a polluted sea spread beneath the spotlight of the metropolis that killed us: we were an ecocide crime scene.The chill sank deeper into my bones and I began to shiver uncontrollably. Just then we heard the distant bang of drums – with each beat bringing us closer to the ceremony. And then warmth. The marchers circled us with shanty songs and aquatic addresses. They declared our oceans as sacred spaces to be protected and honoured rather than egregiously exploited. The mood was soothing, spiritual and ancestral. As we closed with a minute of silence, the word *saudade* came to me. There is no equivalent in English, but in Portuguese it means the melancholic longing for home and loved ones. Oh, how our seafaring ancestors would cry out to see what has become of their oceans. With their imagined cries echoing out in the silence, we rose, and my worries of a returning fever drifted away. The air had taken on a new weight. We hugged and paid final homage to the waveless expanse before us, taking a moment to cherish one another’s presence before heading back towards the city lights, ready to gather and rebel again for the source of all life, water. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/09/IMG_5945.jpeg) **Call to action** What we do, all our interventions, artwork and performances depend on your support. Please help us turn the tide by [donating](https://oceanrebellion.earth/support-us/?ref=robinboardman.com) to Ocean Rebellion or [contact us](https://oceanrebellion.earth/contact/?ref=robinboardman.com) if you’d like to flick your flippers and get involved. --- If you liked this story, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. Telling our stories of resistance is a powerful way to break beyond our bubbles. I'm a new blogger so I welcome all comments and feedback from your bright minds. Share ## **Action News** ### **6 Portuguese Young People are taking 32 countries, including the UK, to court on Climate breakdown.** Current policies of the 32 countries mean the world is on track to reach 3C of global heating within their lifetimes and argue that the governments’ failure to act quickly enough to reduce emissions breaches the human rights of their clients. Aged from 11 to 24, the six Portuguese claimants say they were driven to act by their experiences in the wildfires that ripped through the Leiria region in 2017, killing 66 people and destroying about 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) of forest. **The Dutch Rebellion continues into day 15!** > The Dutch Rebellion continues! 🇳🇱 > > Water cannons will not stop their resistance 🚿 > > It will be a tale to tell to all their children. > What will you tell yours? > > (They are putting bags on their lower backs to protect from kidney damage 🎒)[pic.twitter.com/gjm0FkmyRi](https://t.co/gjm0FkmyRi?ref=robinboardman.com) > > — Robin Boardman (@RobinBoardmanUK) [September 23, 2023](https://twitter.com/RobinBoardmanUK/status/1705600631753355447?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) ### ### A World in Flux Ep.2: Unravelling the Enigma of the Aerosol Masking Effect😶‍🌫️ URL: https://robinboardman.com/a-world-in-flux-ep-2-unravelling-the-enigma-of-aerosol-masking/ Last updated: 2023-09-27T19:27:05.000Z Amidst a tumultuous week marked by devastating floods in Libya and Greece, and the tragic loss of tens of thousands of lives, it's chilling to observe that major news outlets have largely overlooked the profound climate implications tied to these disasters. Journalists reporting on them tend to merely include an anodyne mention of climate change at the end of the article, as in [this](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-66748239?ref=robinboardman.com) recent example from the BBC: *‘Climate change has increased the intensity and frequency of tropical storms, leading to an increase in flash flooding and greater damage.’* A single sentence after a record-breaking rainstorm hit Hong Kong and after weeks of similar climate-related disasters striking countries all around the world. No mention of the failure of our leaders to agree on phasing out fossil fuels at G20\. No mention of the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to increased temperatures. The BBC offers a passing, copy and paste comment on the front and centre crisis facing humanity. Let's go behind this banality and shed light on a complex subject that potentially lies behind the increase in storms: the reduction of cooling aerosols found in greenhouse gases. Around the globe, we've witnessed a barrage of extreme weather events, with one particularly underreported yet pivotal occurrence being the recent marine heatwave. The North Atlantic waters have surged to record-breaking temperatures, surpassing previous records by more than a degree. To put it into perspective, in July the waters around Florida reached temperatures akin to a warm bath. This scorching heat is taking a toll on our coastlines, suffocating thousands of fish as oxygen levels plummet in warmer waters. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/07/image-1.png) Tens of thousands of dead fish washed up on Texas' shores As our planet warms, the oceans are absorbing an escalating amount of atmospheric heat. This has, in part, contributed to maintaining the Earth's overall temperature equilibrium despite soaring greenhouse gas levels. However, the oceans are now warming at an alarming rate. ![](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/7BxD2zH6dDXMzDqGXPPkpWR6jxlZnJc-jwfVsEBF-R_Etn4WgTbXlQyZWPffhRfvQqZuGsbC6TXJEcynF2RMxNssgmSo5owFH1fUE9uxWZnfmGCLThrcCUPNqdNAAxmvvzilO0sifIo7h4QmB7nbOY8) Source: [Leon Simons](https://twitter.com/LeonSimons8/status/1693708414717772096/photo/1?ref=robinboardman.com) One significant factor behind this is the recent reduction of atmospheric particles known as aerosols. Aerosols are small particles in the air that can either cool or warm the climate, depending on the type and color of the particle. Examples of aerosols can be natural like include dust and volcanic ash or created through air pollution like sulphates. Sulphates actually cool the planet at high altitudes by reflecting sunlight like a layer of dirty insulation. This phenomenon is known as the "*masking effect*". So, and hold on to something for this, *emissions are both warming the atmosphere through greenhouse gases and cooling it through air pollution at the same time*. This complex interplay has been a known challenge for some time, yet scientists and the media have been reticent to broach the topic. Nevertheless, it's imperative to address it, as it has important implications for our efforts to decarbonize society. ## Sign up to Citizen's Assemble ### A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. So, just how significant is this? According to the latest IPCC report, aerosols have cooled the planet by an estimated range of 0 to 0.8 degrees Celsius, with 0.4C being the most likely. While this range may seem broad and uncertain, it's a critical concern. Adding 0.8 degrees Celsius to our existing 1.2-degree world would already propel us beyond the 2-degree limit, ushering in an era of intensified extreme weather, mass casualties, and millions of displaced individuals seeking refuge from uninhabitable lands. Consider the map below, illustrating the impact of global heating on the likelihood of deadly combinations of temperature and humidity conditions. It's a gut-wrenching prospect, with millions potentially at risk of death in just a matter of hours. Such temperatures would need mass migrations to cooler climates that could also pose a huge threat to societal stability. ![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/FM4eSgxrh2EqFKNx-IQpX-d9I7buB5jTiak5c1sI8v6ZLD8RrCqZr72kVrLZzu5cugXunaWC8UlY95nW9BCheOOClfhZjVF0VysPHToENs24TeTDG3JuzENsJtu8-YIG4d29iFWg9ElqZeKpz2pN8qY) Source: [IPCC 2023 Report](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/downloads/report/IPCC%5FAR6%5FSYR%5FSPM.pdf?ref=robinboardman.com) While aerosols from greenhouse gases cooling the planet at high altitudes is understandably confusing, their terrible health impacts at low altitudes are obvious. They pollute our air and so surround us with health hazards. An estimated 8 million annual deaths are attributed to air pollution. This staggering toll is larger than the scale of the Holocaust. It's happening every year and it's largely due to the combustion of fossil fuels. Never could we see the effects of aerosols more clearly than in the COVID-19 pandemic. As we suddenly reduced aerosol pollution from fossil-fueled activity, the cleaner, clearer air caused warmed the atmosphere by around 0.2° C. But at the same time, this reduction in air pollution was estimated to have saved 77,000 lives in China alone. What's more, people could enjoy clear horizons and views for the first time in years. Aerosols also contribute to the formation of acid rain as water particles coalesce around these airborne pollutants. This is a phenomenon often associated with sulphur aerosols prevalent in shipping fuel. In 2020, the International Maritime Organization enacted stricter limits on sulphur emissions, resulting in a significant reduction of these polluting aerosols from shipping. This is a neccessary move away from polluting fossil fuels and acid rain. It is also revealing what many scientists were worried about - that sulphate aerosol reduction has contributed to this summer's record high ocean temperatures. We’ve removed the thick sulphate clouds to reveal just how fragile our world is to global warming’s effects. In essence, full payment in our Faustian bargain on fossil fuels is coming due and it will be my generation that is stuck with the tab. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/09/faustus.png) ****Dr. Faustus contemplates his bargain with Mephistopheles.** Addressing the masking conundrum presents a formidable challenge. We must sound the alarm to the potential warming already locked into our planet's atmosphere and break out of false security silos. We have been inadvertently shielded from increased warming by an unlikely source. Now, we must act according to the risk they pose by rapidly reducing fossil fuels, selectively reducing the worst black carbon emissions and drawing down existing carbon with nature-based solutions. While there is no easy solution, the first crucial step is to acknowledge and expand discussions surrounding this issue beyond the confines of niche climate science circles. Chat about it in the pub and with your family. Push your newspaper to write about it. It’s a huge risk and it deserves some airtime. Only with a deepened, visceral knowledge of the threats we face, can we be better equipped to confront the complex dilemmas of our age. --- If you liked this summary, please share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. We need to help break through the media's silence on crucial climate narratives. I'm a new blogger so I welcome comments and feedback from your bright minds. Share **Want a splash of good news to add to this tough read?** You deserve it! Check out this rebellion, now on Day 7 in the Netherlands. The police have sent this gem of a [letter from the police to Dutch politicians,](https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vR0fbkUMEaeQfA%5FprVt%5F0XyOrLn9vKGtHRBNSd0Mx9N%5FJZ6mauSgwOChHtO9LIIdnNSfSo5i51J7pfn/pub?link%5Fid=0&can%5Fid=4f3ef80caa9b5788f643913f9f315110&source=email-netherlands-a12&email%5Freferrer=email%5F2041934&email%5Fsubject=the-police-are-cracking) asking them to negotiate. This is how civil resistance works! > 🚨 25,000 people are blocking a Dutch motorway demanding end to fossil fuel subsidies. > > 👇 This is what civil resistance to the climate crisis looks like. [pic.twitter.com/JqsLyIlWJG](https://t.co/JqsLyIlWJG?ref=robinboardman.com) > > — Robin Boardman (@RobinBoardmanUK) [September 11, 2023](https://twitter.com/RobinBoardmanUK/status/1701260212303175774?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) **Key sources:** - [Masking and unmasking of global warming by aerosols](https://theconversation.com/masking-and-unmasking-of-global-warming-by-aerosols-19990?ref=robinboardman.com) \- The Conversation - [Aerosols: Small Particles with Big Climate Effects ](https://climate.nasa.gov/explore/ask-nasa-climate/3271/aerosols-small-particles-with-big-climate-effects/?ref=robinboardman.com)\- NASA ### A World in Flux Ep.1: Extreme Weather, Net Zero, and Political Divide 📰 URL: https://robinboardman.com/a-world-in-flux-ep-1-extreme-weather-net-zero-and-political-divide/ Last updated: 2023-08-30T19:47:43.000Z Whilst articles on wildfires across Canada, Hawaii and Europe circulate across the world, few have connected them to the critical climate issues we face. Here’s a summary of what the corporate media narrative is often ignoring to help you understand what's going on and where to focus your action. This week we’ll shed light on the implications of such extreme weather, the weakness of the net-zero approach, and the nefarious political lobbies which are hindering effective climate action. **1\. Extreme Weather 🔥** There have been an alarming amount of extreme weather events worldwide after the world's hottest ever July. Even during supposed winter months, unprecedented heatwaves and unusual weather patterns are becoming the norm. This unprecedented upheaval occurs at the current global temperature rise of 1.2 degrees Celsius. With 1.5C degrees predicted in the next 15 years, we are heading for far worse. The current climate policy targets under the global Paris Agreement are set to avoid 1.5C by reducing emissions to net zero by 2050\. Not only is this too late but it's terribly failing the people who are affected right now. **2\. Net Zero is Not Enough 📉** We need more than emission reduction. Net zero, which emphasises reducing emissions to balance atmospheric input and output, falls short in tackling the issue's core—excess atmospheric gas concentrations. The current concentration of CO2 at 420 parts per million (ppm), up from 280 during the Industrial Revolution, underscores the urgency to reverse this trend. The science, and the eponymous organisation, 350.org, tell us that 350ppm is a safe level. Yet current global policy targets are saying we will continue making it worse until we reach 470ppm or more, and *then* we will stabilise it. This is wrong. It means more natural disasters, more crop failures and more people migrating from newly uninhabitable areas. Rather than slowly braking towards zero and then stabilising that, we need to be aiming for a *net negative*. We need to slam on the brakes as quickly as possible and then use all our carbon sinks, like forests, oceans and wetlands, to bring those concentrations back down to safe levels. ## Sign up to Citizen's Assemble ### A newsletter of big ideas on the climate crisis, democracy and civil resistance. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. Free. Unsubscribe anytime. **3\. Partisan Divide and Fossil Fuel Industry Influence 🛢️💰** Climate change has become a divisive political issue. In contrast to the past, when climate change was nonpartisan, it's now tied to political affiliations. Given that the polls very clearly show that the majority of the UK want rapid decarbonization, why is that? Across the world, highly influential think tanks funded by the fossil fuel industry are pushing an agenda against climate action. They have close connections to political elites in the Conservative and Republican parties. This dark money is corrupting our democracy. These think tanks, which are essentially industry lobbyists, are using their massive profits to influence the government to make political decisions that are against our interests. It is shocking and scandalous. For example, the anti-protest legislation, which specifically targets XR, has come almost wholesale from a report by a think tank called Policy Exchange. We know Policy Exchange takes money from fossil fuel companies, and yet they advise the government on how to suppress the legitimate right to protest against those very companies. Political contributions from fossil fuel industries must be stopped if we want civilised climate discourse and end to misinformation. **4\. Project 2025: Political Warfare Against Climate Action** ⚔️ One such energy lobbyist endeavour is Project 2025\. It’s an audacious plan by the American political right which aims to empower conservatives to obstruct climate legislation and perpetuate fossil fuel reliance. This alarming strategy includes shifting away from green energy, supporting polluting industries, and hindering future reversals of these actions. While calling climate activists radicals, they are literally planning to dismantle the administrative state and send our species towards extinction. This is the latest battle tactic from the denialism industry. For the last 50 years, since the fossil fuel industry covered up the effects of greenhouse gases, there has been a multi-pronged battle on climate action. Firstly they sought to convince the public that climate change wasn't happening. Then, that it was happening but it wasn’t caused by oil. Now they say it's happening but it's too expensive to deal with. All of these are excuses to not act. To that end they’ve manipulated the public through think tanks, corporate media and recently through denialist troll farms on social media. If we want to win back on this fight, we need to embrace an upgrade of our democracy that avoids such heavy corporate lobbying interests. **5\. Embracing Deliberative Democracy and Collective Action 🗣️** Instead of relying solely on traditional political channels, we need to embrace deliberative democracy. This approach involves open discussions, informed by available data, to yield representative, inclusive, and fair solutions. It counteracts the influence of vested interests by getting ordinary people involved in making informed decisions about the future. Collective action by groups like XR and Just Stop Oil are pushing to put these new forms of democracy on the table. In fact, in the UK, pressure by XR brought about the UK’s first Climate Assembly. In the face of extreme weather events, inadequate climate policies, and political obstacles, it's crucial that we make those informed decisions as soon as possible. While the challenges are substantial, collective action, informed dialogue, and determined advocacy hold the key to a liveable future. By standing up against misinformation and pushing for meaningful change, we can navigate these challenges and work towards a more resilient world. --- If you liked this summary, please do share it and [subscrib](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup)[e](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more. We need to help break through the denialist narratives. Please do comment and send any feedback for future episodes. Share > Whilst articles on wildfires across Canada, Hawaii and Europe circle the internet and newspapers, few have connected them to the critical climate issues we face. > > Here’s a summary of what the corporate media narrative is often ignoring to help you understand what's going on 👇🧵 [pic.twitter.com/VCQIM1xSKb](https://t.co/VCQIM1xSKb?ref=robinboardman.com) > > — Robin Boardman (@RobinBoardmanUK) [August 26, 2023](https://twitter.com/RobinBoardmanUK/status/1695355349123858473?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=robinboardman.com) Keep the conversation going. Share on X. **Key sources:** - [A burning world shows Net Zero is Not Enough](https://bylinetimes.com/2023/07/27/a-burning-world-shows-net-zero-is-not-enough/?ref=robinboardman.com) - [Far right battle plan to halt climate progress](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/01082023/far-right-battle-plan-to-undo-climate-progress-trump-win-2024/?ref=robinboardman.com) ### If the sea dies, we die. URL: https://robinboardman.com/if-the-sea-dies-we-die/ Last updated: 2023-09-15T20:33:08.000Z With their last breath, three Mermaids handed me a letter. Dressed in fisherman’s attire, I delivered it to a representative of the Portuguese Environment Ministry, demanding an urgent meeting on ocean protection. ([Video](https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cu2G7cDxiAH/?ref=robinboardman.com)) Outside the Ministry gates, a journalist awaited my comment on the drama. The following is a translation of [that interview](https://www.publico.pt/2023/07/18/azul/noticia/ocean-rebellion-levou-tres-sereias-ate-ministerio-dizer-mar-morrer-2057259?ref=robinboardman.com) for the pro-european, national paper, *O Público.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/07/Ocean-Rebellion-Minist-rio-do-Ambiente09.jpg) Three police watch over the dead mermaids. Photo: @danielpontelopes # **Ocean Rebellion** **took three mermaids to the ministry to say: "the sea is dying"** The environmental action movement *Ocean Rebellion* delivered a letter to the Environment Ministry on Tuesday to demand a meeting on water and ocean protection in Portugal, warning that the "sea is dying". "June was the hottest ever (...) and so we demand a meeting to talk about the next steps to save our sea. If the sea dies, we die," said spokesperson and co-founder of the "sister group" *Extinction Rebellion*, Robin Boardman, at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action in Lisbon. The Ocean Rebellion action, which featured three women dressed as mermaids lying on marine litter, comes at a time when some parts of the world are facing extreme heatwaves, such as in the Gulf of Texas in the US, where thousands of fish have died because of warming waters. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/07/image-1.png) Tens of thousands of dead fish washed up on Texas' shores **"We have three demands** for the ministry. The first is that (...) tell the truth about the situation of the oceans, because the fish are suffering, the sea is suffering, dying. The second is for the government to clamp down on emissions from ships, cruises and fishing boats. \[We also\] want a new democratic system to achieve these changes," emphasised Robin Boardman. According to the British campaigner, the government "does not think long-term", emphasising that a citizens' assembly of experts should be set up to solve the water crisis. "Blue creates green. The environmental movement is usually known as green (...), but without blue, without water, we don't have green. \[Blue\] is the base. We want them to tell the truth about it," he said. Robin Boardman stressed that he hopes to get a "good meeting" with the Ministry of the Environment on Climate Action, warning that if there is no response in the coming weeks, *Ocean Rebellion* will carry out further actions, but nonviolently. "If they don't give a date in the next few weeks, we will escalate the action with performances to say we are here, we want to talk. We are here like \[Mahatma\] Gandhi, with non-violent disobedience," he said. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/07/WhatsApp-Image-2023-07-18-at-12.16.22-1.jpg) A dead mermaid lies ontop of an Ocean Rebellion flag. Photo: Robin Boardman "We don't want conflict, we want to create a movement for transition and solution together. If they don't answer us, we will escalate," he added. On what the new *Ocean Rebellion* actions will look like, Robin Boardman indicated that the group of activists may be larger. "We have a plan to scale up these actions. In the future, there will be more mermaids and they will not be on the street, but in front of the ministry's door," he said. \-- **Thanks for reading!** Please do share with Ocean-minded and Portuguese friends. If you liked this article, please [subscribe](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) for more and donate to support my work. Share ### *“God wanted the Earth to be all one. That the sea unites, no longer separates.”* – Fernando Pessoa ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/07/Ocean-Rebellion-Minist-rio-do-Ambiente12-1.jpg) Photo: @danielpontelopes ### The Portuguese Rebellion URL: https://robinboardman.com/the-portuguese-rebellion/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:11:58.000Z Whilst I recover from Long Covid, I've decided to continue the language studies I dropped in 2018 to help found Extinction Rebellion. Languages are my joy. They bring me ever closer to the richness of the human experience. Now I'm on a mission to mix pleasure with passion and use that fondness for language to help coordinate a global rebellion. In Lisbon I’ve helped revive XR Portugal with a series of talks, training and demonstrations. I was recently interviewed by Lusa News, the national press agency, for a selection of articles about why the movement’s revival was so important. It was my first ever interview in Portuguese and my stomach was filled with butterflies. I’ve translated one of the [resulting articles](https://observador.pt/2023/07/06/co-fundador-da-extinction-rebellion-portugal-ainda-nao-esta-a-reduzir-as-emissoes-necessarias/?ref=robinboardman.com) by the right-wing online newspaper, O Observador, into this blog post. Let me know how I got on! ## Co-founder of Extinction Rebellion: Portugal is still not reducing enough emissions Because "people are unaware of the gravity of the environmental situation", 'Extinction Rebellion' will "organise a declaration of rebellion in Portugal" in September, alongside action in the UK and Germany. The co-founder of environmental action movement "Extinction Rebellion", Robin Boardman, considered this Thursday that "no country" is yet on track to fight climate change, stressing that Portugal is also not reducing emissions enough. "For example, in Portugal we have the gas in Sines and other gas sources, so it's not reducing (emissions) enough. The science is clear. We need to reduce at least half of (gas) emissions by 2030 and Portugal is not on track, but it's better than the UK," noted the British activist who is in Portugal to take part this Thursday and July 13 in talks at the Goethe-Institut in Lisbon. For Robin Boardman change must be made "with a movement of the people and not just \[with\] Government policy. We need a national movement to foster this mindset for a new world.” Robin Boardman stressed that he wants to bring the UK movement together with that of Portugal, recalling the 650 year old alliance between the two countries, the oldest in the world. "**We need this alliance in the fight against the climate crisis**. To share tactics, to share emotions. I am learning a bit more about the situation here (in Portugal) and I will share this information with my colleagues in the UK to join the movement, to create this action," he noted. **The climate activist further criticised some politicians, saying they "are not telling the truth about the climate crisis".** "They are not telling the truth because they do not want to lose votes through unpopular policies and so we have this problem of slow action and people are unaware of the gravity of the situation," he said. Demanding a change of mentality, Boardman told Lusa that the 'Extinction Rebellion' will "organise a declaration of rebellion in Portugal" in September. "Every month up to September, we will have an action to mobilise people and raise awareness in Portugal, **with dead mermaids, for example, and other creative actions," he stressed.** The activist stresses that the population has to reduce pollutant emissions and adapt to climate change, which he considered to be already irreversible. "I read the science every day. I feel in my heart the weight that we cannot change and completely reverse this \[climate change\]. We will suffer - and we are suffering now - from forest fires, from the heat in Texas \[United States\] and in other parts of the world. It is killing people," he said. The human species, faced with the situation, will have to reduce emissions of polluting gases, protect biodiversity and adapt, said the rebel, as he calls himself. "We cannot reverse this, but we can do two things: one is to reduce emissions and protect biodiversity (...) and the second is to adapt to the problems we have now", he indicated, maintaining that we "can reduce the heat in the future and each degree that is reduced" will protect generations from danger. The activist from the decentralised and non-partisan international movement that uses non-violent direct action to pressure governments explained that society should also focus more on renewable energy and on dyke systems along the coasts to protect people from rising sea levels. "\[We must\] create the movement, reduce emissions, adopt policies and adapt as a community to this collapse of society, of the ecological world," he stressed. After 'Extinction Rebellion' was "hit hard by the pandemic” like many initiatives, Boardman, who is keen to bring the movement back to the international scene, left a message for critics, saying there are "a couple of years to change things" to limit species extinction. "Critics say we are complaining too much (...), but the science is clear. Everyone can see the science, it's not complicated. The critics usually come from the 'status quo' and are solely focused on profits. That isn’t useful for us. We need life on the planet and that is more important than profits," he stressed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/07/TFL2023_agua22-03_032.JPG) Me as a Dead Mermaid for the Ocean Rebellion Portugal launch. Photo: [Tatiana Ferriera Lima](https://www.instagram.com/tatianaraw/?ref=robinboardman.com) ## World Youth Day (WYD) may be opportunity to generate climate-conscious society On the other hand, Robin Boardman argued that the World Youth Day (WYD), which will take place in Lisbon in August, can be an opportunity to generate a society concerned about climate change. "I think Pope \[Francis\] says some good things about climate change and for me it is very important that all religions come together in this crisis. In the UK we have Muslim and Christian groups. I want that also in Portugal", said the activist in an interview to Lusa news agency. "Right now, we don't have any actions planned but \[WYD\] could be a good opportunity to create a community of Christians who care about the issue," he said. Referring to WYD - a meeting of young people from around the world with Pope Francis, which will take place in the first week of August - Robin Boardman said the Pope could influence people to "create a more environmentalist vision". 'Extinction Rebellion' is a global environmental movement that uses non-violent civil disobedience to try to stop the mass extinction of species and minimise the collapse of society. Its elements have organised initiatives such as sitting around private planes, while others cycle around the aircraft, preventing them from taking off. The movement emerged in 2018 after British activists gathered in Parliament Square in London to announce a declaration of rebellion against the UK government. In Portugal, although they do not claim to be fans of this movement, students **mobilised in protest for the climate and the end of fossil fuels** at the end of last year and occupied several schools and universities for a week, a protest which they repeated in other places, such as the Ministry of Economy, and which sometimes forced the intervention of the security forces. In May, a group of activists from the Stop Gas Platform chained themselves at the main entrance gate of the Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal in the Port of Sines (Setúbal) to block the operation of that infrastructure. --- Thanks for reading! If you liked this article, please consider [subscribing](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup) and sharing to support my work. Share ### Civil Disobedience: A Legal Guide for Activists in Portugal URL: https://robinboardman.com/civil-disobedience-a-legal-guide-for-activists-in-portugal/ Last updated: 2023-05-11T10:07:43.000Z As a migrant activist in Portugal, I want to help empower others with the knowledge of their rights and the general legal procedure. I’ve translated existing materials on Portuguese Legal Advice from [Fermento](https://www.fermento-pt.org/?ref=robinboardman.com) and [Occupa: Fim do Fossil](https://ocupa.greveclimaticaestudantil.pt/?ref=robinboardman.com) into this more comprehensive guide. It will detail the arrest process and has a special section on migrant rights around VISAs and residency. I recommend reading the document in full and then searching for any key terms to find what you need. --- This document was prepared by volunteer activists who read similar documents from other countries, analysed the law in Portugal and interpreted it according to their own experiences in activism. It serves as support and advice to activists who are going to participate in civil disobedience actions in Portugal. It aims to be an empowering tool, which prepares you and provides all the necessary information to know your rights, use the law in your favour, and not allow abuses by police forces and other institutions. This document will not encourage you to commit crimes, because that would be a crime in itself. On the other hand, it will also not be a text to dissuade you from taking action for the climate. We recognize that obeying the laws of our conscience can sometimes contradict the laws written by some societies. ## **Challenging The Legal System** In the context of the climate crisis **the legal system is a pillar of support of the current system**. In this system, destroying the habitable planet is called business and stopping this destruction is called a crime. That means that laws are written and judges are trained to keep the system as it is. (The same principle applies to the police.) Our bet is that the judges (and the police) will not agree with activists and will not collaborate. However, during the actions, the arrests, the process in court, in prison and after prison, activists can create social pressure with their attitudes and their words. This will eventually lead to a judge that cannot continue to cooperate with the system they are in. If this happens, it can create a domino effect in the institution itself. The status quo - that is, what is considered normal and expected - will have to change. To that end, ordinary people who have essential functions in the system will have to stop cooperating with the system. But don't forget: we are talking about a pillar of support for the system that brought us here. This change will take time. Legal Aid in this context is more cognitive and emotional support than technical support. First, we need to normalize a mentality that gets rid of fear in order to stand upright, with pride of being on the right side of history and to have a strategy to stop the collapse of civilization. The corrupt system will try, from before the action until after the sentence, to make us feel alone and powerless. The main fight in Legal Support will be a struggle between fear and courage. Secondly, in spite of the formalisms of the courts, the interpretations matter. The countries we call democratic and the countries we call undemocratic have in effect, essentially the same Penal Code (Punishment system). Institutional and governmental attitudes and what society as a whole considers acceptable can change how laws play out in court. If we win, it will not be because something is written in a certain way on a certain piece of paper. If we win, it will be because the new configuration of social power will imply a certain interpretation of the case. Therefore, telling the truth with courage, calm and openness, will be our main weapon throughout the process. This manual will give you some personal, organizational and technical skills to accompany you on this path. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/05/likc-the-boots-of-power_.gif) Film: April Captains ## General Tips Before we move on to the technicalities, here is some generic advice on how to proceed and deal with events. It includes a general set of rights that you are entitled to and that under no circumstances can be denied or violated by the repressive forces or any other persons or entities. - **Choosing to be silent:** you are under no obligation to talk to the police, and you have the right to remain silent throughout the entire process (except about your identification) - if it is suggested otherwise, remind the interlocutor of this right. - **Avoid obstructing building entrances**: in the case of actions involving the occupation of buildings, you should try not to obstruct doors and gates, since such conduct would prevent people not involved in the action from entering and exiting the building or space, restricting their freedom; - **Do not bring any kind of object that could be considered a weapon or any prohibited substance**: make sure that in your backpack or pockets you do not have knives (even if they are cutlery), pocket knives, scissors, rocks, etc. or any kind of legally prohibited substance (even if the prohibition does not concern consumption, as is the case with cannabis). - **Bring identification, cell phone (or other means of communication) and any other object that is essential for your well-being**: make sure you bring with you your identification (citizen card or passport or driver's license), a means of communication that allows you to call for help and/or inform about your situation (such as a cell phone with battery) and any other objects that you need for health or other reasons (e.g. asthma pumps, medication, etc.). Rights that cannot be denied to you under any circumstances: - Right to silence in criminal proceedings; - Right to access to safe drinking water, adequate food and sanitary facilities; - Right to legal accompaniment in case of detention; - Right not to be deprived of liberty without a legally permissible reason ## Is Civil Disobedience a Crime? Next we will introduce you to the various scenarios that can occur in the course of the action. We stress, however, that **these are the most extreme situations and the maximum penalties that can be imposed on you.** The social and political context, as well as a whole set of aggravating or mitigating factors, always influence the course and outcome of judicial processes. Regardless of the directions your case takes, know that you will always have legal and emotional support - we leave no one helpless or alone. By definition, direct actions constitute a form of programmed civil disobedience. As such, they fall within the scope of the legal type of crime provided in art. 348.of the Portuguese Penal Code (CP): **Article 348** **Disobedience** 1 - Whoever fails to obey a lawful order or warrant, regularly communicated and issued by a competent authority or official, shall be punished with a prison sentence of up to one year or with a fine of up to 120 days if: (a) a provision of the law provides for the punishment of simple disobedience in the case; or (b) in the absence of a provision of the law, the authority or official makes the corresponding provision. 2 - The penalty is imprisonment for up to two years or a fine of up to 240 days in cases where a legal provision punishes qualified disobedience. The crime of disobedience is a public crime, which means that no report or complaint to the authorities by a person considered a "victim" is necessary. Therefore, it is enough for the judicial or police authorities to report the incident, or for anyone to do so voluntarily, and the process continues even against the will of the owner of the offended interests. The orders or mandates whose disrespect can lead to the commission of the crime of disobedience can be varied and depend on the context in which the action takes place. Specifically, Decree-Law 406/74 prohibits "(...) the holding of meetings, rallies or demonstrations with abusive occupation of public or private buildings", adding that holding them constitutes a crime of qualified disobedience. Therefore, in the case of abusive occupation of buildings, the increased penalties apply (because instead of simple disobedience there is now qualified disobedience) provided for in art. 348.cP, presented above. Even if there are no circumstances that make up any other criminal type, a direct action always involves behaviour that qualifies as the crime of disobedience. That being the case, **there will be grounds for identification and possibly arrest - which does not mean that this will actually happen in practice, depending largely on the decisions of the officers on the spot.** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/05/Only-solutions-to-disobey.gif) Film: April Captains ## Before Action ### Attend an action training. You should know the layout and objectives of the action and the necessary roles. You must decide what your role will be, how this role fits into the action design, and how this role can help you deal with the climate emergency that you feel inside. ### Attend a legal briefing Each action, by design, runs different legal risks. Since this manual does not tell you to break the law (that would be a crime on our side), on the next pages let's limit ourselves to general behavioral advice which are applicable to any protest action. Therefore, you should participate in a legal briefing before the action. This can be part of a meeting or separately. It can be done in big groups or in small groups. The legal consequences are part of the action. When you are prepared for them, you will be able to better deal with the emotional turmoil of the situation. [Portuguese Crimes and Penalties List](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HSbxQ%5FChytqZmaEZJzO4VTqQiKUVswf/edit?ref=robinboardman.com) This [supplementary document](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HSbxQ%5FChytqZmaEZJzO4VTqQiKUVswf/edit?ref=robinboardman.com) can help you expand your knowledge of the Penal Code in Portugal. It is a compilation of the laws that we have seen used in prosecutions around the world against activists. We recognize that many of them have never been used against social and climate justice activists in Portugal. ### Cases of special attention Some procedures and some applicable laws (and also some consequences - legal or practical) will be different for minors, migrants, non-cis and cis people and non-binary people.There is another document prepared by Ende Gelände, on [participation of non-cis and non-binary people](https://www.ende-gelaende.org/en/news/guide-for-tina-people-in-action/?ref=robinboardman.com). #### Participation of minors The law provides for different regimes (intended to have less impact on the person's life) applicable to "juveniles" who have committed acts that may constitute legal types of crime. The age of criminal majority in Portugal is 16 years, but until the age of 21 the "young adult" regime applies. Within the category of "juveniles," the law distinguishes the following subcategories: - Minors under the age of 12: no sanction of any kind is applied; - Minors between the ages of 12 and 16: the Educational Guardianship Law is applied, not the Penal Code; - Young people between the ages of 16 and 21: the Penal Code is applied, but with some relaxations and mitigations. The regime applicable to young people between the ages of 12 and 16 includes some modifications to the above, so it is important to consider them. First, as far as identification is concerned, if you are unable to produce an identifying document, the police officer should try to communicate with your parents or legal representatives, and can only keep you in a police station for up to 3 hours. Second, as to detention: - Minors up to 16 years of age can only be arrested in flagrante delicto for acts that qualify as crimes punishable by imprisonment (if it is a crime punishable only by a fine, there can be no arrest); - Detention can only be maintained if the crime in question is a crime against persons with a maximum sentence of more than 3 years, a crime of another type with a maximum sentence of more than 5 years, or several crimes with a maximum sentence of more than 3 years; otherwise, only identification should take place. Following guardianship proceedings, the following measures may be applied to you: - Admonition: "solemn warning given by the judge to the minor." ⋅ Economic benefits or tasks in favor of the community; ⋅ Imposition of rules of conduct; - Impositions of obligations (including obligations to attend training centers, certain courses or orientation sessions, etc.); - Attendance of free-time occupation programs, psycho-pedagogical guidance, acquisition of personal and social skills...; ⋅ Educational monitoring; - Internment in an open, semi-open or closed educational center - this measure may only be applied in the case of committing facts that carry high prison sentences and to minors aged 14 or over. As for young people between the ages of 16 and 18, the law provides for special mitigation, which translates into a reduction of the penalty in case of conviction. Furthermore, the law distinguishes: - Minors between the ages of 16 and 18: in the case of conduct that carries a prison sentence of less than 2 years, the juvenile protection regime (which we have just presented) may apply alternatively or in conjunction with the general criminal law. - Adults between 18 and 21: in the case of conduct that carries a prison sentence of less than 2 years, the judge may impose corrective measures, including admonition, imposition of obligations, fines or internment in detention centers. #### Migrants People who are in Portugal with visas or residence permits must take the following information into account: - In the event of a conviction (for a crime for which a prison sentence of more than 1 year is foreseen), a residence or temporary stay in the country will be refused, even if the sentence has not been served or its execution has been suspended; - The temporary residence permit or its renewal will also be refused in case of conviction for a crime for which the sentence is imprisonment for more than 1 year; - A permanent residence permit can only be granted if during the last five years of residence in Portuguese territory there has been no conviction in a prison sentence of more than 1 year; - A penalty of deportation from national territory may be applied to non-permanent residents who have been convicted of a crime in excess of 6 months' imprisonment or an alternative fine, or to permanent residents who have been convicted of a crime in excess of 1 year; - Foreigners residing in Portugal can only apply for Portuguese nationality if they have not been sentenced to a prison sentence of 3 years or more. #### Disciplinary power of schools and universities Schools and universities enjoy disciplinary power, which means that they can apply sanctions to their students when they fail to fulfill the duties assigned to them by law or internal regulations. In the case of public schools, sanctions of reprimand, suspension, school transfer, and expulsion can be applied. The expulsion measure can only be applied to students of legal age and when there is no other suitable measure. In the case of universities and other higher education institutions, the sanctions that can be applied are a warning, a fine, temporary suspension of school activities, suspension of school evaluation for one year, and a ban from attending the institution for up to five years. ### Create an affinity group The greatest strength of a movement is always in its collective power. The greatest weakness would then be isolation and a feeling of abandonment during the action. To mitigate this risk, you should be part of an affinity group (or create your own). If this is not possible, you should at the very least make sure you have a buddy, someone who you know who you are always with during the action. Your Affinity Group will be your practical base, emotional and tactical before, during and after the action. Recognize and analyze your emotions regarding the legal consequences in your affinity group. We are afraid of the climate crisis. This fear does not invalidate our emotions regarding the legal consequences we can face. We advise that in your affinity group you book some time to listen to each other's emotions and understand how you can all support each other. ### Give your contact information to the legal team coordinator The end of the protest is not the end of the legal process. All after-action processes, including the police station and in court, are part of the movement that puts an end to the climate crisis. The main weapon of the system will be the same as always: to isolate you and make you feel alone. This tactic can already start at the police station, or before if the police decide to put the activists in separate rooms or cells. It will also continue if you receive a letter, addressed to you, with an invitation to appear in court or in an office. These are the moments where it will make a difference to know that more people are thinking about your well-being and are actively working for it. **So that everyone is accompanied and that the political fight will continue after the action, you must give your personal information (full name, medical conditions, contact person) to the coordinator of the legal team.** At the end of the action, if all goes well, after you debrief with your Affinity Group you should also inform the legal team of the action so that they too are able to rest easier. ### Inform a trusted person If you see any probability of the action ending with arrest, this will mean spending hours at the police station and in court. (It may also lead to other changes in your life, depending on the conclusion of the process.) This can mean a drastic change in your schedule. You might have to miss an appointment, reschedule events, and you may need help from your friends for practical or other things. You can count on that support if the people around you know about this possibility. Talking to them about this possibility in advance and working out who you can tell will make this transition easier for you. **You should not share sensitive information (date, time, place, other activists) about any action with any person that is not part of the action.** Even with participants of the action you must follow a safety protocol about what is shared and not shared. However, we advise that a trusted person knows that in that week or in those days you can be detained. That person can be your contact person for a call at the police station. **Watch this tips video before the action.** Climate Action Support Pathway has prepared a video of 3 minutes that summarizes everything you must do before an action with the possibility of arrest. This video explains all the little things you should do in the days before the action. You can see it here - CASP Video 1 - [Preparation for Arrest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkOtWP5BT10&ref=robinboardman.com). ## **During the Action** ### Keeping Calm In a world that doesn't make sense, where companies profit from the destruction of civilization, action is probably one of the few moments in which we construct some meaning. Actions are full of energy, which unfortunately can lead to mistakes which result in unforeseen and unnecessary legal consequences. We advise you to find physical exercises that help to keep you calm. In that moment remember why you are doing the action. This will be the guarantee that it achieves its goals. ### Ensure the safety of all people Climate activism is for a secure future for all people. The action must be designed to eliminate the possibilities of causing harm to other people. You should also pay attention during action to reduce any risk of safety of your own and others' actions. A proactive attitude to protect all the people around you will reduce the negative reactions of people affected by the action. It can also be useful for our appearance in the media and in your defense in court. ### Be careful with communication Before, during and after the action, you must be careful with 1. what you communicate (**content**) 2. with whom you communicate (**people**) 3. and how you communicate (**devices**). In your Affinity Group you should analyze the risks (not only for you but for all activists) and make agreements about communication. If there are coordinators of the action, you must ask what the security protocol is. You can also ask for technical advice or research online. Right now, **Signal with disappearing messages** seems to be the safest form of internal communication (even safer than talking face-to-face and without cell phones). Keep in mind that nowadays there are no forms of secure communication. There are only safer ways than others. You should also be careful about what you say about an action in public or in media communication. If you say you did civil disobedience on TV then it may be difficult to argue in court that there was no disobedience and that it was a peaceful demonstration. If the logic of the action does not require disobedience as an integral part, you may not want to highlight that. ### Interactions with police officers We always advise to opt for silence. The role of police officers is essentially to stop the disruption, ideally before it starts. The Police are also a supporting pillar of the system. Therefore, everything that we said in the first section (Legal Support in the context of climate crisis) applies here as well. As it is known publicly, [the extreme right is well-integrated](https://setentaequatro.pt/investigacao-74/policias-sem-lei-o-odio-de-591-agentes-de-autoridade?ref=robinboardman.com) in the Portuguese police. It will be the police officers who will write an account of the action and they will be the ones to testify against the activists. (If the activists had done nothing wrong, the police intervention would not be justified. To justify it, they naturally denounce the activists). Everything you say or do could be part of a possible future prosecution. You have nothing to gain by talking to the police. If you find that it would calm you down, you might consider limiting yourself to repeating a predefined phrase during the action (depending on the action). In case of identification, police officers identifying you must describe why they are identifying you (what did you do?) and why that justifies an identification (what is the law they think you violated exactly?). You can read more about interactions with police [here](https://www.fermento-pt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Manual-Legal-de-Desobedie%CC%82ncia-Civil.pdf?ref=robinboardman.com). ### Identification In accordance with art. 250.pursuant to Article 8 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CPP), anyone who is in a public place may be asked to identify themselves whenever there are reasonable grounds to believe that the person to be identified may have committed a crime. Police officers should identify themselves, explain the circumstances that led to the request for identification, and indicate which means of identification are permitted. **You can identify yourself in the following ways** (in order of preference): 1. Presentation of citizen card or passport; 2. Presentation of an original document or a certified copy of another document that contains your full name, signature and photograph (e.g. driver's license); 3. Identification by a person over the age of 18 in possession of proper identification that confirms your identity; 4. Go, with the agent(s), to the place where your documents are; 5\. Referral to the nearest police station, where you will stay for as long as necessary for identification (for a maximum of 6 hours) - this option should only be applied as a last resort. During the identification process, police officers may ask you for information regarding the alleged crime and evidence. You are not obligated to give any information, but if it is intended to open an investigation against you, the request for information must be stopped immediately so that you can be arraigned first. You should inform them of this if they insist on asking you questions that could harm you in a future lawsuit. You will also have the right at all times to contact a trusted person - preferably someone in the organization. In addition to being asked for identification, you may also be subjected to a search. Searches are allowed whenever police officers believe there is good reason to believe that you have objects on you that may be used as evidence. In case of detention, you will be searched in order to check whether you are carrying objects with which acts of violence can be committed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/05/nonviolence-.gif) ### Detention If you want to open an inquiry into the facts that occurred (since you witnessed at least the crime of disobedience), the police officers may detain you for the first inquiry and application of precautionary measures. In this case, it is extremely important to know your rights and duties, to cooperate, and to try to stay calm. The first point to keep in mind is that you can only be in detention if you have been charged. This formality aims to assure you of all your rights legally enshrined procedural rights - such as the right to be presumed innocent, the right to an attorney, and the right to silence - in order to avoid abuses and manipulations of the criminal process. Therefore, it is important to fix that: - You cannot be held in detention at a police station if you have not been charged; - The constitution as a defendant is a guarantee of your rights, working in your favor. It in no way means that you will be accused of any crime, nor convicted. Being considered a 'defendant' is a procedural advantage and should not be a cause for anxiety or fear. Detention is an exceptional situation, since, according to the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic and the various Human Rights Charters that Portugal is bound to, no one can be deprived of their liberty without having been previously tried and convicted by a court of law. Thus, it is a provisional measure and has a specific purpose; after the legal time limits have passed, or when the objectives allowed by law have been met, you will always have to be released. The purpose of arrest in flagrante delicto (as will eventually be the case), is the application of the precautionary measures deemed appropriate and the presentation for questioning, for the provision of statements. All of the defendants are subject to a restraining order of identity and residence. Again, this procedural act should not cause you any anguish, nor should it be associated with any kind of outcome of the criminal process - all perfectly innocent people who have already been charged in Portugal were also subjected to a term of identity and residence. Since you will have already presented identification, it will remain to give notice of your residence (or place of work or other domicile of your choice), to which any correspondence and judicial notifications will be forwarded. The first interrogation will take place, at the most, within 24 hours or 48 hours, depending on whether it is judicial or non-judicial interrogation, respectively - the former is conducted by an investigating judge, the latter by a public prosecutor. In this first interrogation, you will be asked your name, surname, place and county of birth, date of birth, marital status, occupation, residence, place of work, and these questions must always be answered truthfully (under penalty of criminal liability). You can choose not to answer any questions other than these. In addition, you should not make any statements without a lawyer being present - you must have a lawyer present during questioning, so no one can ask you questions without your lawyer being present. During the entire time you are in custody - and during the possible remainder of the judicial process - you have the right to remain silent and not to incriminate yourself. So you can always refuse to make a statement, even if the authorities present tell you otherwise. In addition, you will also have the right to inform a trusted person - family member or other - of your situation. In principle, you can do it yourself, via a phone call. However, if the police feel that such direct contact is detrimental to the process, they may refuse the call request and choose to inform your trusted person for you. This call should ideally be made to the lawyer or someone else in the organization who can expedite whatever is needed. You will be presented with several documents while in detention, which you should read carefully and then sign. They are: 1. Defendant's constitution (rights) document; 2. Term of identity and residence; 3. Information about legal aid; 4. Declaration of non-intention to make statements (in case you declare that you do not want to make any statements). It is also important that you keep in mind all the rights you have as a defendant (art. 61.º CPP): - The right to be present at all procedural acts concerning you; - Right to be heard by the court or investigating judge when they are to make decisions that affect you personally; - The right to be informed of the facts alleged against you before making any statements; - Right to silence (not to answer questions you are asked about the facts you are accused of); - The right to appoint an attorney or to request the appointment of an advocate (in case you don't have an attorney); - The right to offer evidence and to request inspections; - The Right to appeal against decisions that are unfavorable to you. **After the first interrogation and the completion of the identity and residence statement, you should be immediately released.** #### Arrest process / At the police station If you manage to keep your cool in spite of all emotions until detention, detention can be a quiet or a hectic place. A detention and identification can take hours and most likely you will not have access to your things during this time. Therefore, detention can be an opportunity to close your eyes, rest and connect with what is alive inside you. However, some difficult emotions can also start to arise and you may feel anxious, nervous or stressed. These emotions are valid and also show that you are alive. So you may want to think about exercises that can help calm you down in that situation. You can watch these two videos about the process of detention and about a police station made by the Climate Action Support Pathway. (Keep in mind that there are parts very contextual to England in the videos) CASP Video 2 - [The Arrest Process](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JurmpcLy4M&ref=robinboardman.com) CASP Video 3 [The Police Station](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik6en%5Fq79lU&ref=robinboardman.com) #### You will have the right to make a phone call. Contact someone who knows what to do, ideally a lawyer or someone from the legal team. You will be asked to make statements by the police. Never make statements unless you are accompanied by a lawyer who specifically recommends it. In doubt, you should state that you do not intend to make statements. You will be presented with a document that you must sign to identify that you do not intend to provide statements. It is likely that you are then made a defendant. This is a normal procedure. After stopping you, they have to charge you with whatever is on their paperwork and so they will. That does not mean in any way that you will be charged of any crime, nor convicted. If that does happen, you will be presented with three documents (information about your rights as a defendant, terms of identity and residence, and information about legal support). You should read carefully through these documents, paying special attention to the elements of identification which you must sign. There were cases where the cops gave more documents for the detainees to sign. You should read everything calmly. If everything sounds too formal and scary, remember that they are designed to produce this effect on you. You can ask them why they ask you to sign that. Ideally, you should not sign other papers without first talking to your Lawyer. If you are given notice to appear in court, you should always attend (accompanied by a lawyer, preferably). There have been cases in which the activists were taken directly to the court. There have been cases where they were invited to appear in court the next business day. There have also been cases where they received a letter at home to invite them to court. **Those under 21 years of age, foreigners, illiterate or people who are hard of hearing or mute always have to be accompanied by a lawyer, even at the police station. They will be called by the police themselves if you do not have your own lawyer.** #### At the police station: 1. You can be separated by gender and the separation will be binary, you may want to prepare yourself mentally and look out for your buddies; 2. It is possible that you will be searched, in principle by a person of the same gender as you; 3. you have the right to vegan food and other dietary restrictions; 4. Try to make a mental record of all the events and write them down afterwards for future legal procedures. 5. Note practices by police officers which could be a reason for complaints. ## **After Action** ### Post-Detention Stages The constitution of a defendant leads to the opening of an Inquiry - a period of investigation that is carried out by the Public Prosecutor's Office. The Inquiry normally ends with an order of indictment or dismissal, on which depends the continuance or termination of the case. Alternatively, there may be a provisional suspension of the proceedings, at the request of the defendant or by decision of the Public Prosecutor's Office of its own motion. Such means that there is neither an indictment nor a dismissal, and the case is suspended for a period of up to two years, after which the case is dismissed without the possibility of reopening. Suspension is allowed in return for compliance with certain rules of conduct, such as: attending certain programs or activities; performing services in the public interest; etc. This is usually where measures such as community service are applied. ### Criminal Record Under the applicable legislation, court decisions imposing penalties are subject to entry in the criminal register. Therefore, there is only a criminal record if, at the end of the entire procedural process (investigation, instruction, trial), there is a conviction and application of a prison sentence or fine (even if there is a sentence waiver or substitution of sentence, or even a sentence suspension). T**here will no longer be any criminal record in case of dismissal of the case, of decision not to prosecute, of acquittal or even in case of provisional suspension of the process**. Similarly, educational guardianship measures are also not subject to criminal record. In Portugal, the criminal record is not for life, but is cancelled after a certain period of time, depending on the severity of the sentence imposed. For prison sentences of less than 5 years (as are all those provided for in this Manual), final cancellation can occur after 5, 7 or 10 years. And for fine penalties, the definitive **cancellation occurs after 5 years**. Also the decisions that have determined the substitution of the penalty or its dispensation give rise to the definitive cancellation of the registration after 5 years. Even before the definitive cancellation, the criminal record may be provisionally cancelled for the purposes of employment, public or private, or for exercising a profession or activity in Portugal. This cancellation can occur at any time, by decision of the court, provided the following conditions are met: 1. The sentence imposed has already been fully served or extinguished; 2. The person concerned "has behaved in a way that can reasonably be assumed to have been readapted"; and 3. The party concerned has fulfilled its obligation to compensate the offended party. ### Create a legal team In other countries there are bar associations and lawyers who assemble and maintain legal teams for the actions. In Portugal this does not exist yet. As a rule, there should be a legal team that accompanies the preparations for the action. This legal team may have elements that are visible to you (like those who made the clarifications in the legal briefing) and invisible to you (people who thought about the legal aspect of the action and the communication, who put together the legal briefing). The Team can be very small. After the action, you will need to renew the legal team. Firstly, the legal team should include the defendants and their lawyers. Secondly, your impact will continue after the protest: your attitude and your strategy will influence what will happen to other people in the following actions. In this sense, it will be needed to create a legal strategy, a political strategy and finally a communication strategy that combines the two. There may be movement-friendly lawyers who can offer legal support pro bono. You must be prepared, mentally and emotionally, so that if this is not the case, you will have to pay for your defense. We must recognize that, even in a closed case, the working time for a lawyer is several dozen hours. In addition, the process itself can have associated costs, particularly if you are convicted. With the team legal, you may also want to build a financial strategy. ### After Action Communication The internal communication after the action should follow the same security protocol as during the action. Communication to the public and the media should be driven by the common strategy that you all establish with the legal team. ### Defense Climate actions are not the usual "crimes" which judges are used to. Continuing to tell the truth during court and out of court can help you to deal with administrative stresses that are designed to feed the sense of alienation. It may be possible to suspend the process in exchange for community service. Your sentence may also be suspended for you and/or turned into community service. Discuss in the legal team the probabilities of the possible scenarios and how people feel in relation to each scenario. Sometimes, it may be possible to win the technical argument (e.g. the Ministry Public Prosecutor's Office charged that there was an order to disperse disobedience but actually there weren’t conditions for this order to be given in context of the action). In general, it is unlikely that this happens. When in doubt, read the first section of this manual. The Constitution of the Portuguese Republic enshrines Right of Resistance (Article 21), the Right of assembly and of demonstration (Article 45) and the right to the Environment and quality of life (Article 66). The Portuguese Basic Law of Climate states that "Everyone has the duty to protect, preserve, respect and ensure the safeguarding of the climate balance, contributing to the mitigation of climate change" (Article 7). You may want to think about what these articles can mean in the context of the climate emergency and concretely in your action. You may also want to read about the principle of necessity and consult your lawyer. ([Climate Necessity Defense](https://www.climatedisobedience.org/necessitydefense?ref=robinboardman.com)) ### Common Types of Related Crime According to what has already been said, a direct action implies, by definition, acts of disobedience. However, depending on the type of action in concrete, other types of crime can be called for by the Public Prosecutor's Office. In particular, the following may be alleged: - **Introduction in a place closed to the public (art. 191.cP):** "Whoever, without the consent or authorization of the lawful person, enters or remains in patios, gardens or fenced-off spaces attached to housing, in boats or other means of transport, in a fenced-off place intended for public service or business, transport service or the exercise of professions or activities, or in any other fenced-off place not freely accessible to the public, shall be punished by imprisonment of up to 3 months or a fine of up to 60 days." - **Damage (art. 212.cP):** "Whoever destroys, in whole or in part, damages, disfigures or renders unusable another's thing or animal, is punished with a prison sentence of up to three years or with a fine." - **Qualified damage (art. 213.cP)**: "Whoever destroys, in whole or in part, damages, disfigures or rendered unusable: - Thing or animal intended for public use and utility or for public bodies or services; (...) - Thing belonging to the cultural heritage and legally classified or in the process of classification; or shall be punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to 600 days." - **Usurpation of immovable property (art. 215.cP)**: "Whoever, by means of violence or serious threat, invades or occupies the immovable property of others, with the intention of exercising property rights, possession, use or servitude not protected by law, sentence or administrative act, is punished with a prison sentence of up to 2 years or with a fine of up to 240 days, if a more serious penalty is not applicable in view of the means used." - **Aggravated Injury (art. 181.cP + art. 184.cP):** "Whoever reviles another person by imputing facts to him, even under suspicion, or by addressing him words, offensive to his honor or consideration, is punishable by imprisonment for up to 3 months or a fine of up to 120 days. - **Illicit recordings and photographs (art. 199.cP):** "Who without consent: - record words spoken by another person and not intended for the public, even if addressed to him; or - Use or allow the use of the recordings referred to in the previous paragraph, even if lawfully produced; - shall be punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 1 year or a fine of up to 240 days." - **Participation in a riot**: "1 - Whoever takes part in a riot during which violence is collectively committed against persons or against property is punished with a prison sentence of up to one year or with a fine of up to 120 days, if a more serious penalty is not applicable under any other legal provision. - If the agent has provoked or directed the riot, he will be punished with a prison sentence of up to 3 years or with a fine. - The agent is not punished if he has withdrawn from the riot by order or admonition of the authority without having committed or provoked violence." -Disobedience to an order to disperse a public meeting (art. 304.cP): "Whoever does not obey a lawful order to withdraw from a public meeting or gathering, given by a competent authority, with a warning that disobedience constitutes a crime, is punished with imprisonment of up to 1 year or with a fine of up to 120 days." [Portuguese Crimes and Penalties List](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HSbxQ%5FChytqZmaEZJzO4VTqQiKUVswf/edit?ref=robinboardman.com) This [supplementary document](https://docs.google.com/document/d/18HSbxQ%5FChytqZmaEZJzO4VTqQiKUVswf/edit?ref=robinboardman.com) can help you expand your knowledge of the Penal Code in Portugal. It is a compilation of the laws that we have seen used in prosecutions around the world against activists. We recognize that many of them have never been used against social and climate justice activists in Portugal. ### Prison preparation The main problem with prison is that climate activists, statistically from the most privileged sectors of society, do not think about prison. However, you can be imprisoned by any protest action, even if the probability is very low. Historically, we identify at least three scenarios in social movements in which this can happen: 1. The activists make a mistake during the action that causes serious damage, leading to unforeseen legal consequences. 2. An undercover cop can cause unforeseen damage to the action, harming all the activists. 3. A militant right-wing judge gives a drawn-out interpretation of the law to condemn the activists in an exaggerated manner. These are unlikely but not impossible. The more disruptive the action, the higher the probability. We don't have a guide yet to get you ready for Portuguese prison, but we suggest you read [Preparing for Prison Briefing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b6EdsHKM6z8Q2NW6jk4PbxOKVIJeH6UaPi2fOnks314/edit?ref=robinboardman.com), prepared by Rebels in Prison Support. (Remember that most of the technical information is specific to the United Kingdom and does not apply in Portugal). For example, you may want to record a video of testimony before the action, to be published in the case of the imprisonment. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/05/rebels-released-from-prison.gif) Release fom Portuguese Prison - Film:April Captains ## Building Occupations Taking a more focused summary, a building occupation action may lead mainly to the verification of the following types of crime: - Qualified disobedience " simple disobedience is transformed into qualified disobedience by considering there to be "abusive occupation of public or private buildings"; - Introduction into a place closed to the public " this crime can be invoked if school and university buildings are not freely accessible; - Usurpation of immovable property " if the occupation is carried out through the use of force or the threat of force, the introduction into a forbidden place becomes usurpation; - Participation in a riot " depending on the way relations with the police forces unfold, the police may consider it to be a matter of "disorderly and disobedient agitation by a group of people who show themselves capable of committing acts of violence that endanger security, public peace, and the integrity of persons and property. ### Private Security Involvement When an action involves the introduction of activists into non-public or autonomously managed spaces, such as the premises of companies, schools, or university campuses, there may be intervention by private security. As for private security personnel, you should keep in mind the following rules: - Private security guards cannot demand your identification or make arrests; - Private security guards must respect your rights and freedoms and cannot use force; - Private security guards are required to identify themselves if requested to do so; - Police authorities are likely to be called by private security teams, as they are required by law to make such contact if they see any crime being committed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/05/army-loyal-to-the-people.gif) ### Graffiti As for graffiti and stencils, in addition to the fact that this can be a crime of damage or qualified damage (if the target is a public building or a building where public services operate), the authorities may consider it a simple misdemeanor, according to Law No. 61/2013\. **Misdemeanors are illegal acts that are not serious enough to be considered crimes.** Therefore, instead of being punished (imprisonment or a fine) by a court, they are punished with a fine by an administrative body. The difference between a fine and a fine, both of which involve the payment of a monetary value, is that a fine, unlike a fine, can be converted into a prison sentence and leads to a criminal record, among other things. The fine, on the other hand, cannot be replaced by imprisonment and does not generate a criminal record. A graffiti or stencil can be considered a crime or a misdemeanor depending on its effects on the building: there is only a damage crime if a permanent damage to the building or object, and a mere misdemeanor exists when the building or object only gets dirty (not permanently). Considering that there is only a misdemeanor, various types of fines can be imposed: 1. **Light: graffiti/stencil** is "reversible by simple removal, cleaning or painting" - fine between €100 and €2,500; 2. **Serious: graffiti/stencil stains** "in a prolongedmanner", but is "reversible by simple cleaning or painting" - fine between €150 and €7,500; c) Very serious: graffiti/stencil stains "in a permanent or prolongedmanner", "putting at serious risk the restoration \[of the building\], due to the definitive or irreversible nature of the means used for its alteration" - fine between €1,000 and €25,000. The inspection of this type of action is the responsibility of the Municipal Police, and the decision of the process is the responsibility of the City Council. It should also be noted that: - The objects and materials used (e.g. sprays, paints, brushes, etc.) can be seized; - There may be suspension of the fine, which may be conditioned to the fulfillment of certain duties, such as providing work for the community or cleaning the buildings. - In case the activities are practiced by minors, the following special aspects should be taken into consideration: - All minors: legal representatives (parents, grandparents, or other caregivers) are notified; - Minors considered to be at risk: the competent protection commission is notified. - The costs of removal are always borne by the person responsible. ## Conclusions With regard to the above types of crime and prosecution, we stress that they are presented here for preparation only. There is nothing to say, in advance, that the police and/or the Public Prosecutor's Office will consider any of this conduct to be at issue. Moreover, the penalties presented are the maximum penalties provided, applied only in cases of extreme severity. As mentioned, there is a whole system of mitigating factors, as well as informal mechanisms (such as the provisional suspension of proceedings, which is a very important escape valve from the system), that operate throughout a criminal trial to mitigate the consequences for the accused. Thus, we cannot but reinforce the following points: - Civil disobedience is a political weapon - it is intended as a strategy to test the limits of laws and introduce resistance into the system. - Actions are designed to maximize the probability that nothing serious will happen. - The actions are carried out in the context of an activist cooperative network of total solidarity, so that interpersonal care is as important as the action itself; - All of what we have presented to you is part of the worst case scenario, and is not at all a necessary scenario, nor a highly probable one (especially for those who have no prior record and cooperate with the criminal police agencies, the prosecution and the court). Finally, we reinforce the following advice: - Identify yourself whenever asked, remain calm, and cooperate politely and patiently; - Avoid permanently damaging or soiling any objects or buildings - in the case of graffiti and stencils, the ideal is to use paints that can be washed off, even if only after some time; - Do not have any objects on you that could be considered weapons (e.g. pocketknives, tools, etc.) - Try to address police officers in a calm and respectful tone; ➢ Do not film or photograph people who expressly ask you not to do so (including police officers - unless their conduct is itself unlawful and abusive and the images are intended to document that); - Don't directly restrict the freedom of other people who are on site - in the case of building occupation, it is essential not to prevent anyone from leaving against their will; - Read the documents that are presented to you during a possible arrest carefully (take your time!) and sign only 1) the statement of defense, 2) the statement of identity and residence, 3) the information about legal aid, and 4) the statement that you do not want to make statements (if presented to you); - You always have the right to remain silent - don't allow yourself to be made to believe otherwise; - You always have the right to have attorney assistance - claim that right if you feel it is not being respected; - If the Public Prosecutor's Office proposes the provisional suspension of the proceedings, calmly analyze the case and clarify all doubts with your lawyer. Suspension can only happen if you want it and give your consent - it's your choice! Following this advice whenever possible, you must never allow violations or abuses of your rights, nor tolerate degrading or discriminatory treatment. There is no time and no circumstance when your dignity as a human person can be legitimately challenged, and no circumstance when your fundamental rights and your human rights can be disregarded. To these rights are added all the procedural rights provided in the Code Portuguese Criminal Law, of which you are the holder from the moment you are made a defendant. If any of these rights are called into question, contact the lawyer or a person from the organization as soon as possible. There are reactionary means available to stop any kind of abuse and to hold the perpetrators accountable, regardless of their status or official position. Finally, we can assure you that in the event of a lawsuit, a procedural strategy will be developed that is appropriate for your specific case. This strategy will frame the actions taken in the current climate and ecological crisis and expose the goal of redirecting the community's focus and pressuring those responsible to act. Although being institutions that tend to be conservative in their actions, courts can break with the status quo. Judicial activism by the courts is increasingly a reality, so we will not fail to employ all the most innovative and ambitious legal strategies we can devise. ## Endnotes Thinking about law and courts is scary, because these were designed to scare ordinary people. Laws that say you can be "punished with a prison sentence of up to N years" are themselves the protection of private interests by discouragement, although they actually present the worst conclusion possible for your case. When we decided to write this manual, 35 million people in Pakistan were left without homes because of the floods. When we were writing this manual, a 55-year-old woman died in the Lisbon floods. We are frightened by what is in front of our eyes. We are scared of what is to come if we leave the system to continue. True global and intergenerational mutual support happens by being side by side before the actions, during the actions and after actions. We want to believe that this manual serves that purpose. ## Documents referred to in this Guide - [Legal Manual for Disobedience Civil](https://www.fermento-pt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Manual-Legal-de-Desobediencia-Civil.pdf?ref=robinboardman.com) - [Movement Legal Support Manual "End Fossil - Occupy!"](https://ocupa.greveclimaticaestudantil.pt/manual-de-apoio-legal/?ref=robinboardman.com) - CASP Video 1 - [Preparation for Arrest](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkOtWP5BT10&ref=robinboardman.com) - CASP Video 2 - [The Arrest Process](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JurmpcLy4M&ref=robinboardman.com) - CASP Video 3 [The Police Station](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik6en%5Fq79lU&ref=robinboardman.com) - [Police Lawlessness: the hate of 591 law enforcement officers](https://setentaequatro.pt/investigacao-74/policias-sem-lei-o-odio-de-591-agentes-de-autoridade?ref=robinboardman.com) \- - [Preparing for Prison Briefing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b6EdsHKM6z8Q2NW6jk4P%20bxOKVIJeH6UaPi2fOnks314/edit%20%E2%80%A2?ref=robinboardman.com), Rebels in Prison Support - [Climate Necessity Defense ](https://www.climatedisobedience.org/necessitydefense?ref=robinboardman.com) ### What does the latest IPCC Report mean for rebels? URL: https://robinboardman.com/what-does-the-2023-ipcc-report-mean-for-the-climate-movement/ Last updated: 2023-10-15T02:36:14.000Z The 2023 report is the final update from the IPCC before the end of the decade and it highlights the urgent need for strong progress by 2030 to mitigate the worst of climate chaos. Given that its primary audience, Governments, are failing abysmally to act on that advice, I've summarised the report and its weaknesses to help bolster effective grassroots action 🌱 **Challenge Political Interference into Science** 🔬 One of the key elements activists need to challenge the IPCC report on is the political interference of stakeholder countries in its creation. The language used in the “*Summary for Policymakers”* has been massively weakened by changes to the language on fossil fuels and dietary change. After pressure from Saudi Arabia, the language on fossil fuels suggests a transition away from fossil fuels rather than phasing them out entirely. This is dangerous as it positions fossil fuels as part of the solution, whereas the science is clear that we need to stop using them entirely. The original report, leaked by Scientist Rebellion, suggested "*plant-based diets*" to reduce emissions but due to pressure from Brazil and Argentina, large beef exporting countries, this was changed to the ambiguous "*balanced and healthy diets"*. Meat and dairy are then totally ignored in the final report despite them emitting 15% of total global emissions. These changes from the original reports show the scale of political intervention in the science and rise of meaningless political phrases. If we want meaningful reports we need to pressure the IPCC to ditch government influence and stick to the science. **Failure of the Media to Communicate the Report** 🗞️ This is the biggest news that there has ever been and it should be headline news in every paper. And yet in Britain's second most circulated paper, the Daily Mail, it is crammed into the end of Page 19, after a large section on a parking argument. Its dismissal is maddening. The reason behind it? Newspapers rely on the revenue of adverts for high emissions lifestyles and are owned by billionaires that have huge stakes in fossil fuel companies. They won’t tell the truth about the severity of the crisis because it threatens their position in the status quo. We need to keep pushing[ the media to tell the truth](https://extinctionrebellion.uk/act-now/campaigns/free-the-press/?ref=robinboardman.com) and alert the public to this devastating bias. **Final Warning?** 🌋 Is this language of a 'final warning' really breaking through? From what I can see, 30 years of repeated warnings have been ignored by Governments and even the messaging of “*5 minutes to Midnight*'' isn't working. Unfortunately, it can even feed into denialist narratives, which dismiss the warnings as just the same-old apocalyptic messages we've heard for the last 20 years. **We need to change the story** because the report's framing, which is just aimed at Governments, makes us seem like passive bystanders but of course, we should all be active in the process of addressing an emergency. Especially given that Governments have agreed to take action on climate change since 1992, but since then the situation has only gotten worse. The IPCC reports haven't worked because, at the end of the day, *change isn't about information; it's about power and influence.* We need a story that encourages all of us to be part of creating a new democratic power in society. At the moment, the wealthy can use their power to shut down a new story. For example, Shell can spend money on legal services to set injunctions on their property and prohibit climate action by effectively empowering the law to put climate protesters in jail. This shows the power of wealth in weaponising the law against peaceful protesters. It also shows that the fossil fuel industries are starting to panic and investing in new ways of expressing their power rather than just the classic disinformation of the last 30 years. We need to challenge the comeback of disinformation - the Telegraph’s language on the IPCC as “[*Confected hysteria*](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/03/20/uns-scientific-climate-report-nothing-confected-hysteria/?ref=robinboardman.com)” is outright climate denialism. They are running scared of the power of social movements so they are doubling down on climate denialism to protect their social licence. We need to expose the corruption of the residual elite’s story and weave a new one, based on new forms of power such as Citizen’s Assemblies which remove the lobbying influence of big companies in favour of balanced citizen participation. **Aerosols** ⚛️ A neglected part of the IPCC report is the effect of aerosols on the atmosphere. When we burn materials we create tiny particles of soot that actually cool the atmosphere. The current temperature of 1.3C above the industrial baseline is a result of both the warming of greenhouse gases and the cooling effect of aerosols. So there is a risk that if we stop burning quickly, then we could reverse the particle cooling effect and risk a rapid temperature rise. This doesn't mean we need to slow decarbonisation but we do need to be aware of this often neglected impact when we assess the current warming. Without the masking effect, we could be closer to 2C. Based on this risk, we need to be pushing for more ambitious climate action and highlighting this all too commonly neglected element of science in our messaging. *If it could be that severe then we should act as if it is that severe.* **Overshoot** ☣️ The report worryingly focuses one of its 18 sections on overshooting, which is the idea that it is now okay to go over 1.5C because we can go back down again with carbon capture technology (which doesn't currently exist). This is a classic example of the report ignoring **feedback loops,** where increased heating can cause larger problems such as the melting of arctic ice, which can trigger even more warming. Dismissing the science of feedback loops and believing in fictional technology is simply magical thinking. There is so much resistance in Governments to the difficult decisions that need to be made now that they like to use this kind of fantasy scenario instead. This overshooting idea gives the report a legitimacy that it doesn't deserve. We need to fight against the idea that overshooting is an acceptable or viable pathway. ![](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ZTqp-GWLFfmHOx5CG2_pdOl4eDXf7oc74NGLVWioTVX_bcoiy6eVkdmsUBtuO82RqoQbyqqkeVXXuELW366yoM9dxzSPyKDr_FkdMk8v2gUL6UweBc5jvuzmfk4oEPIYyqf-WIOC4QDWRhBkwLzYPI8) **Intergenerational Equity** 👩‍👩‍👧‍👧 These five pathways show the huge impacts of decisions now on future generations. It's viscerally clear from this graph that we don't all have the same stake in the climate crisis. When you see this, it's difficult to think of the number of 70-year-olds who are influencing our future when 16-year-olds can't. There isn't a mention of intergenerational equity in the report but this image makes the problem clear. We need to campaign for younger voting ages and increased youth participation in power to help remedy this imbalance. **Loss and Damage** 🔧 The new language of loss and damage strengthens the case for climate justice. It develops a built-in mechanism for climate action that makes high-carbon, rich countries responsible for the damage caused in the most affected countries. We should be adopting this language in our movements and also pushing for national versions of climate justice, such as subsidies to help the poorest move away from cheap but heavily polluting vehicles. **Should the report include the word collapse?** 🏚️ If it was being honest then yes it would but scientists like to talk about facts and predictions rather than the implications. You can't model human decisions, just as we can't model elections, and so in general social sciences are neglected from the report. Collapsology is a new wave of social science that doesn't yet feature. *Without a strengthening of policies, global warming of 3.2 degrees is projected by 2100.* We have no clue how dangerous a 3.2-degree world is - it could be too dangerous for organised human society. Our societies are so complex and interdependent that they could collapse under these threats. 3 degrees will massively affect people born today. This isn't theoretical. This is today's children. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/04/aktivisda-be39b0ce-c35a-4ff8-9bcf-7711a3876766--2-.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/04/aktivisda-be39b0ce-c35a-4ff8-9bcf-7711a3876766--3-.png) **Climate Sensitivity** 🥃 In 1965, [Claude Louris discovered](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65060965?ref=robinboardman.com) that by putting ice from the Arctic in his whisky, gas came out. Therefore he could measure what gases were in the atmosphere in the past by measuring gases emitted from deeper ice sheets. This kind of historic reporting, or Paleo data, is neglected in the report in favour of the number of current emissions. Paleo-data is very important for looking at climate sensitivity which measures for any given amount of emissions how much temperatures will rise. James Hansen published a paper that based on paleo-data, sensitivity could be a lot higher than the current IPCC models - **even warning of the risks of 10 degrees warming**. Again we must urge the public to adopt the *precautionary principle* \- a caution in the face of new evidence which may prove disastrous for the future humankind. **Acting immediately is very important** 🆘 A clear takeaway in the report is that protecting our climate will also lead to a reduction in poverty and improved global health. The faster we act the better we can protect these areas and minimise the worst outcomes of collapse or even human extinction. It's also cheaper to act as soon as possible too in the long run. These basic facts of the report can’t be stressed enough by our messaging - a win for health, economy and planet. **Emissions are still rising** 📈 The report shows that 2019 emissions are 12% higher than in 2010 which points to an obvious conclusion that producing these reports isn't working to reduce emissions. Producing more information isn't tackling the power and influence that want to delay climate action. We need to challenge the antiquated narrative that information will create change. Movements need to point to more emotional and spiritual sources where people can find meaning and purpose in their lives by rebelling against the harm we face. ![](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1nUQg1mnnrgYAOiTnZz3o0EyQKB3dT12Qc_yCP3MUu--WPKkQBT-3wIyL_CN1INnzaXETAQ_yAyJkgyzy1IZb_NauYJeWvtzqDqVQUgUswOpOA8ZxrCaL831R0Lb6b8mJZEVpbptWarJtgxtrB6vm3M) **Emissions reduction** 🌲 The biggest potential for emissions reduction are: - Solar energy ☀️ - Not destroying ecological spaces 🐸 - New regenerative practices to protect our soil 🍂 Key Takeaways: - **Tree planting isn’t the only answer.** As good as planting trees is, it doesn't address the main issue of emissions. Protecting existing trees is far more effective than planting a new one because it takes years for them to come into full carbon sequestering effect. The largest power station in the UK, Drax, is burning native forests in Canada for energy and it’s scandalous. We need to s*upport people climbing up trees to protect what safeguards we already have. (*[*Drax Scandal Documentary)*](https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cw6z?ref=robinboardman.com) - **Nuclear power has much less potential than solar and wind** so the climate movement doesn’t internally need to get so reactive (🥁) in that debate. - The report does cover some good news on the progress of climate action to reduce emissions. So it shows reductions are possible but that governments aren’t doing enough. - **The Paris Agreement pledges would still lead to 2.8C warming**. All of those non-binding pledges are empty promises that even combined are still not strong enough. This figure gives us a key statistic to show that existing promises are failing and countries must go far beyond what they’ve committed to. - The UK is a great example of not following its pledges. It set a 2050 net-zero law and yet the Government is building a new coal mine; issuing 100s of new oil and gas licences in the north sea; still building houses to bad energy standards and still expanding airports - all policies taking us in the wrong direction. - With this in mind, we should be pointing to the fact that the **report is too focused on emissions and not on what caused them**. We should address problems at the root, not the stem. We need to weave a clear story that puts Big Oil and political corruption at the root of this failure. **Economics** 💱 A point missing from the report is a growing resiliation that our economy is not fit to provide the necessary transition. Take habitat protection as an example. Trees are currently valueless in our society. They are only worth something if they're burnt or sold as short-term products. Therefore current economic models are incompatible with the protection of habitats necessary for emissions reduction. The report doesn't make this crucial connection. Many mainstream economists say that we don't need to stop growing economies because growth will be decoupled from emissions. However, according to the IPCC charts, we need rapid reductions for 1.5/2 degrees. Rapid declines are simply incompatible with green growth. We need either a steady state economy (no growth) or degrowth, which measures the elements of the economy we really need and the ones we should decrease. Ultimately our economy can't grow forever or even for very much longer. So we have a choice, either it contracts when we chaotically cross the planetary boundaries or we plan it out and work on it now. Pushing home this point on economics is vital to challenge the arguments in favour of continued growth. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/04/aktivisda-be39b0ce-c35a-4ff8-9bcf-7711a3876766--4--1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2023/04/dOyJoT5s-1.jpeg) **People Power?** 🔍 *The report focuses far too much on Governments*. They have been proven ineffective for 30 years as emissions continue to rise and there is still far more finance flowing to new fossil fuels than to climate adaptation and energy. We need to think of new ways to create change. Simply giving Governments the climate information isn't enough when huge fossil fuel companies can go to them with buckets of cash. What we need is people power. The report could highlight the effectiveness of community-organised change and the benefits of climate action for reducing climate anxiety. These could help to empower a wide population of readers rather than feed the doomism of its reporting. The primary reasons for climate anxiety are a sense of betrayal and feeling helpless. By encouraging grassroots climate responses, the report would open a real possibility for citizen participation and positive action. We need to build this possibility and show the world that Governments must now be forced to act. Social science points to the idea of *social tipping points,* where change will happen when there are so many people pushing for it that it becomes inevitable. Every step of climate action, from the individual to global, is building momentum to reach these social tipping points. We need to highlight this concept and its sister idea of *social contagion,* where once enough people start acting, the rest will follow. We can think of it like dancing at a community hall - first, it's the weird ones who start to dance, then a few more, and a few more until there are so many people dancing that there's a tipping point where the even the "I don't dance" crew start to slowly groove because they don't want to be the odd ones out. We can inspire a social contagion by raising awareness of social tipping points and by bringing climate action to all elements of our life. From having a conversation with fellow shoppers about why you're buying plant-based burgers to discussing how social change happens with your family; it's all climate action. We tend to think just of the direct impact of our choices (i.e I just reduced my emissions by not driving) but it's not just about the CO2, it's about the power of what you've done to inspire other people. This is what is frustrating about the IPCC report, it neglects the social science of how we actually achieve social change because the current information is not quantitative enough. We need to encourage more social scientists into the field of change-making so that they can clearly and factually point the way toward action. (Check out the[ Social Change Lab](https://www.socialchangelab.org/?ref=robinboardman.com) if you’re interested in more on this!) **Where do we go from here?** 👣 As the report lacks crucial information for grassroots change, we need to create it ourselves. Showing the world the power of social tipping points and contagion, and manifesting our power to the best of our ability. It's our best opportunity to inspire others into action. We wouldn't usually think to resist our government if it wasn't for our terrible leaders but now we have been forced to. We can encourage others to join us in that. Most people now know of Extinction Rebellion or Just Stop Oil but mainly as the enemies or pariahs of mainstream media. With effective campaigning and community-based climate action, we can turn that around. There will be challenges along the way. We are facing the massive power of the 1%. The way to challenge that power is with numbers. Massive numbers of people are involved in climate action at every level of society where we actively resist high carbon and habitat-destroying policies. This is a recent and crucial evolution in the climate movement. Due to the cost of living and energy crisis, we've seen a big wave of noncooperation in our society - strikes, not paying tax, direct action. Bigger noncooperation is building and we need to tie it all together. Binding all of these resistance movements together in a country like the UK, where climate knowledge is high, can challenge a corrupt government and create a ripe circumstance for change. --- Want to help make the change? Join[ The Big One](https://extinctionrebellion.uk/the-big-one/?ref=robinboardman.com) on 21-24 April in London. This article is based on a conversation between Clare Farrell and Dr Charlie Gardner on Extinction Rebellion’s Youtube. You can check out the [full discussion here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ChQ6C6E7UA&ref=robinboardman.com). I hope you found this summary helpful and that it helps to develop your activism. If you are interested in more like this, sign up to my newsletter and check out my recommended reading lists. [Enjoy the article? Sign up to my newsletter for more](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup/free) Share ### Visioning Being The Change URL: https://robinboardman.com/being-the-change-visioning/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:12:56.000Z Like many activists, I've often struggled with the balance of working within the current system, supporting alternatives to it, and creating changes in my own life. This imbalance can be hard to sit with. It brings up a variety of questions about effectiveness, morals, and pragmatism. I have found XR Being The Change encouraging as they invite us to a bigger and more beautiful path outside of this individual turmoil. Their vision opens up a variety of viewpoints, or *pluriversal thinking*, that help to find balance and picture the more beautiful world it will lead us to. For those that can't watch a longer video or, like me, simply prefer the written word, I've created a summary and approximate transcript of their [Visioning Session](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYOe3VBdlMg&ref=robinboardman.com). These notes are to help dive into the key ideas involved and enable wider sharing and discussion. Enjoy! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/being-teh-change-1.png) *Introductory sharing with* [*Kofi Mawuli Klu*](https://www.facebook.com/kofi.m.klu)*,* [*Gail Bradbrook*](https://twitter.com/gailbradbrook?ref=robinboardman.com)*,* [*Skeena Rathor*](https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/artists/skeena-rathor/?ref=robinboardman.com)*,* [*Kobina Jerry Amokwandoh*](https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jerry-amokwandoh?ref=robinboardman.com)*, and*[ *Esther Stanford-Xosei*](https://twitter.com/Xosei?ref=robinboardman.com)*. Together they share their overview of context and visions for a new pathway for Extinction Rebellion along with other communities and groups working for the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/BCAN2-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/BCAN-3.png) ## **Transcript** **What does Being The Change mean to you?** **Jerry:** If we’re not trying to work out who we are becoming; if we are not working with existing groups who are focused on those solutions, then we are wasting our time. For me, it’s like Salvador Allende says, *“To be young and not be a revolutionary is a contradiction”*. **Gail:** We haven't worked out how to do all the XR Principles & Values like openly challenging ourselves and this system. We have a disease in our system and ourselves. It's this paradigm of domination. We need to create roots of connection and of being a global family. You don’t need power’s permission for that. What we need is an open space for gatherings and stories of resistance. **Esther*:* Being the change is about returning to the ways of our mother earth. Learning how to connect to her through community and land. This disease in society is creating separation. To heal it we must connect to the land and focus on planet repairs. The disease impacts all of us in different ways. Reparation means stopping harm and then working on repairing our relationships with the world. We recognised from the beginning that there was a lack of this in XR. We are at a time when we can't keep relying on other people's power to liberate us. We must do that ourselves. Our culture must derive from the earth and our connection to it. There are many examples of ways of life that are about connecting with and working with our planet, particularly in the global south. **Kofi:** The practicalities of the vision mean that we need to repair the harm of coloniality. We need to imagine the world beyond that. Indigenous activists have long pointed to a world of not harming each other. This is what humanity can truly lead to. Extinction Rebellion has been a meeting point for thinking beyond harm and into a beautiful future for many generations. Being the change means primarily being the change to stop the harm. That means stopping harm to ourselves, others, including other lifeforms, and this planet. This will stop us from running off the cliff. We can align our coliberation movement around stopping that harm. When we can heal ourselves then we have huge potential to help heal and protect our planet. In other words, it'sBob Marley’s concept of *One Love*! It's mind-boggling that we have so much harm and knowledge of how to address it and yet we can’t see the love and protection needed for the world. It starts with a recognition that the life of one is the life of all of us. **Esther:** As Cornel West said, **Justice, is what love looks like in public**. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/BCAN-4.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/BCAN-5.png) **Skeena:** Or as Martin Luther King said - **Justice is correcting everything that stands in the way of love**. That means fierce love that can protect, care and regenerate. Now many of us are working on a re-storying. Telling a new story to one of our dominant cultures. Our dominant culture has a big story that is based on hero stories, it relies on an imagined salvation from somewhere else. *But what if it's us?* We need a new story and a new language to go along with it. That’s what is needed but it can be very challenging. When we discuss pluriversality and coliberation people are unsure what they mean. **Kofi*:* Well, some are hearing them for the first time and need close dialogue and collaborative learning from each other around the depth of what they mean. Then some people say “*I don’t know what you mean*”, despite having heard them repeatedly, who use “*I don't get it*” as a way of saying *“*I don't want to get it because it challenges my knowledge of privilege and supremacy**”. I was born in Ghana, a country that was a British colony where they imposed culture and knowledge on us through violence. They essentially said that my culture meant nothing - all the violence around me was also happening in the destruction of our knowledge systems. They killed our ideas and culture. All your culture had to come from Europe, a place you have never seen. They destroy our indigenous personality. Now we turn around and start to introduce these knowledge systems to stop the destructive mindsets of colonisation in this country. We do it in English and we are very open to explaining them. And yet then people claim not to understand. After all the violence we have experienced through colonialism, you’d think that the least people could do in colonising countries is to listen and understand the benefits of our indigenous knowledge. We must call out people who are deliberately dodging it out of arrogance. **Esther*:* The book [*A Course in Miracles*](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781684115631?ref=robinboardman.com) struck me - it says there are only really two emotions, love and fear. That arrogance comes from a place of fear. Fear of change. So we must be able to see the whole, loving vision to help to create a place where people are ready for change. **Kofi*:* This country has focused on treating people as subhumans for hundreds of years and indeed, creating a climate emergency. There have always been people who have challenged that. The movement for anti-enslavement started from below and rose against the system. It then found allies in power who helped to bring about that change. Why can’t we look into our own history of resistance and rise above the fear? They didn't need to beg power for power. The real story of this country is its history of resistance. That is our power. It’s time to wake up and have the courage to overcome the fear. **Jerry*:* That is why motherism is important because that unconditional love will be painful. In the same way that loving a child isn’t always easy, we must be ready to face the challenges that stand in front of a more loving path to a new paradigm. The violence of this country is that we are denied the truth of our own history. We must therefore connect with the resistance around us as part of us to be the change. This is why we’re passionate because these are our families. [Sign up for Being The Change](https://forms.gle/X9b6VKeSsqiykreU7?ref=robinboardman.com) **Kofi*:* It's important to say this is not about charity either. It's not about saving anyone. It's about saving yourself. The vast majority of people across the world are in rebellion in many different ways. If we can connect those modes of resistance then we can create a unifying people's power that can set us all free. If we can do that then we can really change things. **Gail*:* We have an individualistic culture that actively draws us away from that. It says to go to therapy to sort yourself out rather than be in community. It teaches a history that only values the British battles won and not the horrors of witch-hunting, for example. We are often too comforted which is actually an aversion to really seeing our humanity. It's going to hurt to stop living in that way but we need it. We need to come together across how we have been racialised, with faith groups, etc, to be with each other for that healing. What a liberation it will be! It will be fun! **Skeena*:* What you're talking about is the *co* in coliberation. The most frightening thing for any living being is to be alone. We are in a deep fear of our aloneness. This presents us with the *how* of social change - we need to create a reconnection, with each other and the great mother earth. To recognise ourselves as part of a universe that is alive. The so-called white and western culture avoids it. We can create that change. **Kofi*:* If we can connect with the people who know the only way to change is with themselves, which is the majority of people in oppression, then we can empower each other rather than being the white savior. From there we can connect with their hearts and spirits of resistance. *Being the change is daring to see the human being in other human beings.* To dare to experience real life. The life that will emancipate you is the life of our earth. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/bcan6-2.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/BCAN7-1.png) **Skeena*:* This gives us a chance to reimagine how we want to work with each other. We create systemic agreements. We want to connect *back* to the land, not be *included* in the dominant culture. Inclusivity is a word that gets used a lot now and I think we should name the subtle but important flaw in that word. Being *included* means having your voice heard in a dominant culture that claims it will protect the planet. Whereas being the change means connecting *back* to our ancestors' earth-protecting practices and finding our voices, not the ones that nicely fit into what already exists. **Esther*:* This means we need to sacrifice. The easy path is to fit in but the true and difficult path is to be the change. We have become accustomed to toxic habits of communicating and relating. They don't bring out our deep joy. We need to be able to let go of those. Then we need to look at the barriers to being the change - both in XR and in our society. What are our barriers? My perception is that a lot of that sacrifice is that people who are racialized as white need to go against the grain of what they are told they are and what they should be in this culture. Someone like Gail might even be seen as a race traitor for defying white culture and that will be difficult. But its importance is that it calls on others racialized as white to do the same. There will be fear and resistance but it is starting to sacrifice that will help make the change. [Enjoying the article? Sign up to my newsletter for more](https://robinboardman.com/#/portal/signup/free) **Gail*:* It's been a difficult few months with the UN Climate Change Conference’s failure and organisational issues. We need to be trying different things. I think we need to be visionary. *People of colours and cultures* are at the heart of that vision. I have faced a recent betrayal and hurt around these ideas. They are being marginalised in XR. I don’t think it's about putting up walls to those people but finding the people you want to work with who are creating vision and *attracting* people rather than just *pushing* people into action. What we need as the attraction force is love - that means having times when we feel challenged and holding onto each other through that. Young people are leading some of this, such as [RYSE](https://www.theryse.org/?ref=robinboardman.com). They are saying that it's okay to not know. They are spending time on difficult topics like changing the schooling system. People keep telling me to keep it simple but this stuff isn't simple, we need to learn along the way and be curious. **Kofi*:* We need to learn to trust in mother earth. The greatest pathology of whiteness has been to dominate mother earth because you just want to keep extracting. Gluttony. Sadism. Indigenous culture isn't about wearing fewer clothes and holding spears, as one journalist once claimed to me. It's about creating respect for other beings and people on this planet. We just need the beauty of ourselves, not more consumption. We need to learn together by going out into global communities of resistance, who know the value of land and life around them so that we will all have a better appreciation of what life is. Robert Wedderburn and William Davidson, abolitionists in England hundreds of years ago, debated on industrialisation and insisted that people must be connected to their land. This is the untold story of chattel slavery and its resistance in Britain. That it also included going beyond just enslavement and pushing for land connection. Whiteness has been a violent imposition on Europeans as well as the rest of the world. We all need to unite against it. This isn’t an Insulate Britain style project - too focused on one area - it's about global connection to a deeper knowledge of what it means to live. **Skeena*:* We need to ask our young people what it is that they need. They are closer to knowing. We can learn a theory of change that takes useful info from social movement theories like Paul Engler’s work but we must also stretch the horizons further. **Kofi*:* We are capable of so much more than this! And that is what widening our horizons can do. Do the impossible! We are in a beautiful, amazing moment to learn this and dare to venture into the future. We are communities of the past, the present, and the future. If you can overcome the fear of death, just as part of living, then you are really with life. You recognise that we all create footprints in the sands of time and think about how future and past generations will look at those footprints. We must Be The Change not just for the moment but for all time! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/BCAN8-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/11/BCAN9-1.png) **Skeena*:* How do we do this by going backward and connecting the planet? **Jerry*:* Our generation is looking at the challenges and sacrifices and we believe that to confront them we must learn from the majority of the world's people. It's the only language that does justice to the work of our ancestors toward liberation. We need to keep up those attritional gains. We can’t let young people fail to engage in ancestral work and struggles. Some of us are facing it head-on. [We were in court to challenge the Government on its mass genocide](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/30/uk-students-sue-government-human-rights-climate-crisis?ref=robinboardman.com) of young people and we listened to them tell us that the young lives of today are going to be killed. They will not protect the young generation. This makes the truth so clear and our unifying force stronger because we can face the unclouded reality. We know history will forgive us. **Skeena*:* That expresses to me exactly what co-liberation is about, unifying based on the truth of circumstance and flourishing together based on that shared knowledge. **Esther*:* We are talking in a visionary way and much of humanity is just on the treadmill of life, too busy making ends meet to see that vision. As a reparationist, I see this vision as a continuation of reparation works in so much as we must continue to work on our humanity. We have the vision of a repaired Africa. We want our own self-determination communities that work with the land. We are reconnecting with our homelands and their ways. This spreads beyond African people. We are all originally from Africa, including Europeans. We have concrete processes on the way such as the European Council on Reparation. We have a historic mission and a duty to work on the many worlds of global justice. From there we can challenge the climate and ecological crisis. This is what all the mothers in my line have taught me. We teach our young about our culture. We will never be able to do enough on our own. We must connect with previous generations. **Gail*:* Exactly - and we need to be wary of the false versions of that. White people in particular need to be wary of what the [Entangled Activist](https://www.anthealawson.uk/the-entangled-activist?ref=robinboardman.com) talks about, which is that if you're an activist but you feel you are extracting from yourself to the point of burnout and exhaustion, or doing that to others, or ignoring the important relationships between people and just focusing on the material differences - then you are recreating the dominant paradigm. Let's make sure our resistance and our civil disobedience have the roots of connection in it. **Skeena**: We are looking for that connection. We have made mistakes and there is a sorry there but there is also an invitation to come back together. To face our challenges together. To hold us in our mistakes. There is nothing in life without coming together as our one human family. [Interested in Being The Change’s work? Let them know!](https://forms.gle/X9b6VKeSsqiykreU7?ref=robinboardman.com) For more resources from Being The Change, check out their [Seedpod](https://docs.google.com/document/d/163pchTD65plNpTECwzw8Ifirhcbd9KOcfvU4K-5KqOE/edit?usp=drive%5Fweb&ouid=103626736296504985507&ref=robinboardman.com), a brilliant, diverse collection of thinking around **Relate, Repair, Resist!** **Disclosure**: If you buy books linked on my site, I may earn a commission for book money from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops **📚**☕ *Telegram broadcast of updates:* [*https://t.me/+LTcMg\_C3XVUzMGY0*](https://t.me/+LTcMg%5FC3XVUzMGY0?ref=robinboardman.com) *Digital solidarity channel* [*https://t.me/+jlEkvbCpsKplMWI0*](https://t.me/+jlEkvbCpsKplMWI0?ref=robinboardman.com) Share ### Does XR need a Moderate or Radical Flank? URL: https://robinboardman.com/moderate-or-radical-flank/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:15:15.000Z In the run up to the Spring Rebellion the word *strategy* is hotly discussed. But what, concretely, are the different strategies being proposed for the climate movement? In this post and upcoming ones, I hope to try and clear the mist around a few proposals. To start, I'll break down the key points of a [recent public debate](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVhpcpJcNkQ&ref=robinboardman.com) between Rupert Read and Roger Hallam on their suggestions for a moderate and a radical flank to Extinction Rebellion (XR). I found the debate style helpful because they challenge each other’s theories with a spirit of critical friendship. Working with critical friends to determine the weaknesses of our ideas will help to strengthen our responses to public criticism and so help to strengthen the movement as a whole. Below I have boiled down the key points of difference between the two. I hope that by doing so you can more easily find your own position. There are many positions in the movement but that does not necessarily mean that we are weaker for it. They serve as part of our [Movement Ecology](https://ayni.institute/movementecology/?ref=robinboardman.com), where many different theories of change coexist and cooperate to a similar end. The key task, rather than squabbling between them, is learning to recognise these different theories of change, how they think, how we can work with them and how to recognise our own personal allegiance or biases. The following then is a summary and approximate transcript of the debate between the two former XR spokesmen. The first half looks at their proposed flanks and the second half examines the question of inclusivity, questioning how we can broaden the climate movement to different cultures and political backgrounds. Broadening the movement begins with talking to people we disagree with and finding commonality - something the debate itself begins to model. --- ## Key Points of Difference 1. **How do people's minds change?* Rupert Read (RR) - Through deep acceptance and discussion in their day-to-day lives, based on a truthful understanding of how vulnerable they/we have now become to climate disasters etc. Roger Hallam (RH) - Through dramatic nonviolent conflict that moves and upsets people into outrage and action. *2\. *How will the change happen?* RR - By pressing on multiple pressure-points to achieve gradual broad public acceptance. RH - Through a mass civil disobedience event that will rapidly flip society’s attitude. *3\. *Where will the change happen?* RR - In workplaces and localities with people creating their own solutions; this will then also indirectly pressurise Government. RH - In Government by forcing them to concede to a specific demand; this will then build confidence in the movement, bringing in more peoples and getting more wins. *4\. *How many people do we need for the change?* RR - Millions across the country doing their part in their spheres of influences. RH - Thousands in mass civil disobedience to spark national debate and action. **Key Points of Agreement** - Keep radically telling the truth on the climate emergency - Be authentic and emotional on the crisis we face - Create bridges with people of different cultural and political backgrounds ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/02/m-or-r-front.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/02/how-do-minds-change.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/02/how-many-do-we-need.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/02/how-will-change-happen.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/02/where-will-the-change-happen-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2022/02/agreement-2.png) Some graphics to simplify and beautify things. ## Transcript **Roger Hallam - Radical Flank (RH)** The Climate Movement is essentially different to all other previous social movements. It is based on a scientific fact. Therefore it is an objective emergency - there are no flanks, only what is necessary. An existential crisis is therefore not a political crisis because in a political debate people have their own different interests whereas in an existential crisis, we are all affected. There’s only one position to deal with it, not a variety. In a similar vein, there is only one position on obscene acts such as rape and child abuse. They break human values and it's in their opposition that we can unite. For example, in WW2, very different groups such as conservative Catholics and Republican Socialists worked together under one position, resistance to Hitler. Unless you have a good excuse (responsibility, illness), you have a duty to disobey. You make a demand on the Government and then disrupt society. By speaking this truth, you maximize the potential of mobilization towards the radical flank/objective need. **Rupert Read - Moderate Flank (RR)** Agreed with analysis of an existential issue. The tragedy is that we have raised awareness through XR but the topic does not dominate everyday politics. We have not moved into emergency mode as society or in most hearts and minds. In WW2, there was a very different emergency because life could go back to normal afterwards. With climate we will be in constant emergency. The objective reality is that most people are not in that place yet in their thinking on climate. We need a profound understanding of our vulnerability to be able to comprehend radical action - e.g most people didn’t understand Insulate Britain. Why is it justified to block motorways? So further ongoing work is needed to bring home the understanding of our emerging shared vulnerability. This can be achieved by walking the talk of adaptation and resilience, especially in communities and workplaces. The radical flank that is XR has opened the Overton Window (the space of acceptable political debate). There is an argument now therefore for a moderate flank that can successfully fill that space. This new, mass, distributed moderate flank \[to XR\] can seem and be more realistic and help to bring that wider understanding of the existential crisis to our society. We must accept that we won’t get overnight change that we are hoping for. It’s clear that XR’s 2025 net zero demand is uncredible now that it's 2022\. There’s no chance of it happening with the current government. We must challenge the idea of just going back to normal. Perhaps that is what lots of people who join the radical flank believe - that if they throw themselves at it, make sacrifices, then there could be a huge overnight change, we’ll win and we could all go back to normal. The moderate flank approach, on the other hand, is more realistic in understanding that now the clock is never going to go back before midnight. And in understanding that most people aren’t quite there yet, while the Government is nowhere near; and that we need to start making the changes ourselves, in lieu of sufficient Government action. In this way you could say that the moderate flank is even more radical than the radical flank because it is making the changes happen itself, such as creating Climate Emergency Centres, instead of asking power to concede a demand. The Moderate flank accepts that we are already past a disaster point. There’s no fixing of the emergency. We must start to build a society that can deal with it for the long term. That takes mature wisdom and an acceptance of the death and loss we face. It accepts that we don’t have sufficient numbers yet and says that whilst resistance is certainly justified, it will continue to fail until a broader portion of society believes in the existential threat. The actions of the moderate flank will both protect against that threat and help bring a broader plurality to see clearly the threat. **RH** I believe that you are mixing up the psychological with the normative. I can happily concede that many people are not as keen on change as the radical flank. A normative analysis however says, “what should I do? What’s the best use of my time?” Strategically, the question is what is going to have the most effect? These are key questions we all ask ourselves in response to climate science. **RR** Yes and we need millions involved in it. Similar to the 3.5% of society figure that XR calls for. I would be astounded if XR can achieve that in future rebellions but I believe it's more realistic that a moderate flank could get millions involved and help to shift the public consciousness. XR has opened the space for this new flank. **RH** There is a difference between acting on what is necessary and trying to fit into the existing political system. Just because the world is like that, doesn’t mean we need to fit into it. Activists by definition have the agency to make change. They are not confined to the limits of the existing system. The more that we argue that we need to fit into an existing space, i.e as you say, where people are, the more the world will continue to stay as it is. It creates a self fulfilling prophecy. If we say “We have to accept the world as it is to create change”, then the world will just stay as it is. How will political change happen? I believe that society is heading for collapse. Therefore reformism will not save it. We are now in a revolutionary period because the hegemonic power is taking us over the cliff. Capitalism, economic growth, individualism, lack of collective action - all of these features of society are destroying us. These are not going to change with reform in the face of collapse. Instead we need a revolutionary force in the form of civil resistance that can help make the drastic changes needed. **RR** Agreed that this civilization is finished. We are already off the cliff. Now we need to try and not fall so far and clamber our way back up. So, do we have the numbers that are needed for your revolutionary force? You need a broad plurality of millions in support of it too. The radical flank should be just the tip of an iceberg. Below it should be a far bigger mass: the new mass moderate flank. (And below that needs to be a still larger cohort of millions of sympathisers - holding the top part of the iceberg up). **RH** I believe there are sufficient numbers to do effective civil resistance now. I have empirical evidence from doing 5 talks a week - at each talk, 2/3 people will agree to civil disobedience to the point of risking prison. We know that sufficient numbers can create huge changes, such as police reform in Minnesota after BLM protests or even the recent [motorway protest in Serbia that won legislative change](https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/green-activists-stage-tent-protest-halt-lithium-exploration-serbia-2022-02-11/?ref=robinboardman.com) to stop the country being exploited by Transnational corporations for mining rights. So we know this is how political change works. My proposition is that Just Stop Oil could get 2000 people involved in civil disobedience in Spring. So how do you bring the 70% of the public along? You create a moment of whirlwind action ( i.e a dramatic demonstration that creates a national debate) that will expose the weakness of the system and bring people in support of the movement against it. The usual political mechanisms such as alliances, coalitions, legal reform etc are all too slow and invested in the current paradigm. The danger is then that you invite people to join that and we risk not creating the critical mass we need for civil resistance. **RR** We need a balanced ecosystem of action and of groups. We can’t expect many lawyers etc to come out in civil resistance but we could rely on them for serious climatically-oriented legal reform. Just Stop Oil sounds very encouraging - it has a clear and important aim. But thousands of people isn’t sufficient for the totality of the change we now need. The comparisons of past struggles that have done this e.g civil rights in the US, are insufficient because a crucial difference is that our crisis is bigger and more permanent and most people don’t fully understand that. There is a massive difference also in how easy it is for power to concede on our demands. With civil rights for example, accepting black people into society wasn’t going to majorly disrupt the existing elite or economic system. With climate however, the legislation we need is going to make a lot of existing corporations very unhappy. Therefore it is far more difficult for us than it was for MLK. So how do we bring about broad social change? Well if it needs a broad spectrum then it simply can’t just be top-down. This is why I disagree with “eco–leninists”, such as Andreas Malm, who have advocated for blowing up pipelines. It is completely implausible to impose the necessary changes. We must bring (nearly) everyone along with us. All action that sets the majority of the population against you, as in Insulate Britain, is fucked. We need civil society to push on lots of fronts. For example, we now have [Lawyers for Net Zero](https://www.lawyersfornetzero.com/?ref=robinboardman.com) working on legal challenges. I’m not saying that we should return to the 1990s NGO model. Let’s galvanize the forces of XR to move beyond that and into further corners of society. This is what the moderate flank that I envision and that is starting to take shape and to emerge can/could do. **RH** Let’s concretise these ideas. This crisis is fundamentally different from the approaches you suggest. You are suggesting to use *information* and *persuasion* to bring people on board e.g lawyers. That might work well for simple actions such as doing the dishes but fails when it comes to challenging people’s sense of identity. Many of these groups are far too invested in society as it stands to be changed through reasoning. For instance with civil rights in the US, you couldn’t reason with many white people in the south on race. They believed it was their god given right to dominant black people. So, that's why the civil rights movements failed for 90 years.. Until they took radical action and challenged entrenched power, they would get nowhere. That is absolutely what we need to be doing. In a similar vein, there is a broad section of entrenched power and society that believe that we have a right to destroy nature and continually produce. It is our cultural way of life. We know there are flaws to it but it is our way of life. When you engage in civil resistance you throw the dice on changing the population's mind on the topic through *emotional action*, not information. People will get angry, but like in family relationships, often we get angriest before conceding that the other person is right. People say that *Insulate Britain* are just upsetting people. I believe that they are upsetting people but that that period of emotional turmoil will help people to realize they are right. Therefore the action needs to be nonviolent and it needs to be dialogical. It needs to talk about the commonality of humanity and find a way through. Respectful dialogue can bridge the divide that the strong emotions make. This is why nonviolent action is so powerful. **RR** Agreed that one was of the best aspects of XR but I didn’t see that as much in Insulate Britain. I’m very skeptical of the idea that IB helped move people to our position. My theory of change is that we have to keep radically telling the truth, being authentic and emotional. We also need to get deeper into ourselves and our children’s vulnerability. “Climate disasters and food scarcity could kill my children” - We need this being said by a majority. We need to start these conversations in our workplaces and geographic areas. In workplaces for example, this can help lead to questions on challenging CO2 emissions from commuting etc and even challenge aims such as, “What are we doing with our profits?” Taking action on those relatable points in strong workplaces such as law, audit, insurance would be transformative. **RH** That is a good vision but I disagree with one point which is that I believe the change will be nonlinear. It will need to be a rapid transformation. The levels of change we need, even just to insulate Britain, are huge. We need massive amounts of training, labour and resources. We need revolutionary levels of change. Civil resistance can press through on this. The end of civilization means that we need to challenge the neoliberal cult of individualism. It lies on so many fronts - people aren’t happier when they make more money or make decisions on their own. They are happier in loving relationships and stable communities. That’s not green propaganda, it's solid social science. A broad theory of change that means we need to create mass, united movements to challenge that idea. We can’t rely on the individuals, they aren’t the rational actors some believe. We are all influenced by so many aspects of our life, emotionally and economically. Our reality is over constructed on the individual. In Indigenous cultures and even just those before the 1980s, we really believed in society. If we can herd our current society to this belief, then we can transform rapidly. For instance in 1939, the British Public were very opposed to WW2\. They weren’t being cowardly, they were just in a wishful thinking phase (like many people have when they dismiss the threat of Trump). Within 2 weeks of invading Czechoslovakia though, the whole society shifts. **RR** Will there be such a line for climate collapse? I totally agree with the failures of society. Many of us have believed that the lines in the sand such as Katrina and COP26 would be the turning point. They have passed and will continue to pass. Yes we will get an increase in numbers but there needs to be viable paths for those people to enter activism that appeals to a broader population, including conservative and non-woke people. Workplace action isn’t individualistic - you are in a real community where you can exact action. From there you can shame the Government into action. Then you can impact what the business sectors lobby for - ultimately, cutting out climate bad actors. Perhaps we get there through civil resistance. But I believe that lots of pressure points with small action will help trigger change. Then we can build towards a sudden flip through a General Climate Strike for example, but we need to build towards that. For example, legally you can’t currently strike on anything outside what directly affects you at the workplaces. The combination of lawyers' action and workplace criticisms can help us build a society where people can strike on climate change and then force the government's hand. **RH** There will be sudden changes - such as the fall of the Roman Empire. History is full of these episodes. Our cultural experience is the last 30 years, which is unique in European history for its lack of major conflicts or revolution. That won’t always be the case. **RR** John Michael Greer points out that collapses do take a long time. What is the line going to be? You’re expecting a flip but what is it going to be that will force it? **RH** The collapse can come quickly through social repression. In the same way we do emotionally. We can sit and tell people we are fine and then suddenly collapse into tears. Why? Because social repression has built up. This isn’t consequential - it will happen all at once. Let’s say there were 10 million conversations about Insulate Britain with 90% of them negative. Those animated negative conversations are signals that people will flip their opinions soon. It's a gut instinctual negative reaction, similar to getting angry at your parents, then you will later reflect on and change your mind - knowing that the argument behind it is the truth. **RR** I disagree, how can you believe that a 90% disagreement will lead to broad support for the cause? The iceberg will sink, without more support… For example, XR flourished with the April Rebellion but was mortally wounded by Canning Town. Perhaps people will come to XR from climate disasters. Can you turn Canning Town into a positive? Isn’t there a danger that your approach is unfalsifiable? However bad the public reaction, you take that as evidence that your method is working! You say that if people are pissed off by something, then you are making psychological progress. I am worried that this immunises you to criticism and makes it impossible for the movement to learn from mistakes. **RH** Yes there is the danger you point to. It’s difficult to counter with a rational argument and empirics. I work with empirics everyday through mobilisation but I have a fundamental difference in strategic approach. I can’t prove what's happening in peoples heads. BLM started in 2012 and was small. Social repression built up and then the line was crossed with George Floyd killing. Then there was an emotional breakdown which won the legislature change. **RR** Agreed that is a hope we have for XR but going back to my point, aren’t you saying that *any* publicity, even bad, is good publicity? I think there are serious flaws to that. Most publicity is good publicity (including some that at first appears negative), but not all. **RH** No I’m not saying that; I think that disruption is problematic and you don’t know how it will affect people. You have to take a gamble. The chances will go down the more you start abusing people verbally or moving towards violence. We don’t want that emotional outrage to pour into civil war or terrorism. It’s not a guarantee but it has a higher probability of creating rapid change, i.e in next 3-5 years as Sir Davdi King has asked for. We agree that there will be a moderate flank but that doesn’t mean we need to advocate for it. We need to advocate for civil resistance as a duty. If you’re not doing it, then go ahead and create other organizations. New organizations with emotional intelligence, not just 1950s male rational corporations, and with small scale direct action. Civil resistance will still need allies at the times of whirlwinds. **RR** I’m glad that we can move closer together in agreeing that both sides are necessary. Just StopOil is necessary. I say to anyone: if you are in a position where you believe you can criticize them, then you need to be able to argue that what you are doing is better. When they take action, I will say so *and* I will advocate for what people can be doing in the moderate flank. When I work with big old NGO organizations, I try to take the leaders and people out of their comfort zones but only in ways that I believe are strategically valid. Together we can build this ecosystem of organizations towards change. **RH** Yes as long as you go to the moderate flank and keep challenging it to step up. It's not a pleasant process but welcome to real life. It's difficult! ## PART 2: Inclusivity **RR** We need to start talking to people beyond our politics. How can we create more ground for conservatives, anti-woke etc? **RH** The narrative in left wing circles is that you need to politicize things and create social conflict. That’s half right - yes there are bad people doing bad things that need to be challenged. At the same time, the reality of the situation is that this isn't a question of interest, it's a question of human survival. It's a sense, not an absolutist reality. There's both common humanity (existential) and there's social injustice (political). There are different *cultural orientations* to consider when appealing to common humanity - better to phrase it that way rather than get reduced to a certain identity such as consverative. Most people only think about politics 5 mins a week. They have other cultural, social and spiritual commitments on their minds. We all have internal conflicts in our human psyche, more than the reductive analysis of “us vs them”, would have you believe. For example, a Conservative MP just flipped to Labour over the parties during the pandemic. We can’t believe people are totally set in their orientations. The fear of death is a huge part of our culture. When you talk and listen to cultural conservatives, you can start to challenge the contradictions on a human level and crucially do it in their own frame. You are a consverative so don’t you want to *conserve* society rather than let it go to the dogs? There are big structural contradictions in left wing thought- e.g between freedom and equality. In Conservativism, there are also structural contradictions - they believe in capitalism but it is also destroying family values and community. This is the strategy. Highlight the contradictions. **RR** Agreed. On the Right we could say that we need to challenge the conversative dogma of *“free market”*, given that it degrades our world, and on the Left we need to challenge the dogma of *“progress”*. Progress is tied in usually with economic growth. It has led to absurd ideas such as Fully Automated Luxury Communism, ideas which are ecologically destructive. Climate breakdown totally changes the ideals of both. On one side, the ideals of freedom, making money and getting your own way, and on the other of mass production and state intervention to improve equality. Both are nice ideas potentially, but climate breakdown totally changes the picture. Our current politics are made of residual elites that still believe only those old ideals. WW2 has a great precedent here with both Popular Fronts and a National government. The winning response combined elements of the left and the right. If we can appeal to people on what is necessary, we can speak to their values rather than get caught in political ideology. **RH** What we face is total transformation - we can either get it through democracy or we wait until facism seizes the reins. The flip point is when you say “by pursuing capitalism, you are going to destroy it”. WW2 citizens agreed to socialist perspectives because of the war, not because they were socialists. **RR** Roosevelt went to US Car manufacturers and laid out the plans for tank building after Pearl Harbour. They turned to him in amazement. “But this means no cars?!” - Yep. Fundamental transformation. **RH** Yes and the critical point is that they have to do that now or they will never produce cars again. It's existential. This is the point we can challenge Tory MPS on. The quicker we race to capitalism, the quicker we destroy and reduce our liberties because mass production and profit orientation is destroying the world. **RR** We disagree on timescales and I think we are unlikely to see conservatives in a civil resistance movement soon. We agree though that we can’t be dogmatic against different political viewpoints. **RH** Yes - if you’re not in dialogue then you create polarization. You need to talk to people. People are more tribal than political. Rightwing ideology might set their beliefs but through dialogue you can evolve a discussion around their frames. Then you can shake hands. **RR** We need this civic culture - this is really it and an emergency must trump what seems important to you and help you realize what is *actually* most important to you. It creates a mutual respect for fearless conversation with the other side so that we see each other as human. Ben Goldsmith is in the Conservative Environment Network - we don’t help him if we say Conservatives are wankers. We do help him if we connect on a human level. As you said, at the same time, we are all in this together (existentially) and we’re not all in this together (inequality.). **RH** It's not the moderate green conservatives that will make the difference. They are still neoliberal liberals. They are totally stuck in green growth. We need to be smart in thinking which are the different actors in conservatism. There are other groups such as 1 nation conservatives. They are about heritage, nation and patriotism. They are the key flip group because they are intelligent enough to know that capitalism is not God. They know, as Adam Smith said, you can’t let the merchant class take over the State. It's no good at ruling because it fundamentally believes in private interest. We’re going to destroy Britain - destroy trading, destroy coastal areas and 20% of housing in London. That's not a 1 nation conservative orientation. They are old fashion realists. A really important alliance is going to involve patriotic conservatives who are skeptical of capitalism. **RR** Interesting. I think it's both Green growth conservatives and 1 Nation patriots we need. I have debated this with Roger Scruton \[available at [https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-player?id=1922](https://www.lse.ac.uk/lse-player?id=1922&ref=robinboardman.com) \] - conversative green philosopher - and there are elements in his thought that help us. For instance, focusing on continuing the way of life that we have. **RH** Right now we are in a straight jacket of the left and right in politics. It used to be a competition between church and state. Now we have left and right. We need to create new fractures in the 21st century. For example, Ecological realism and neoliberal fantasy. The left wing space is full of anti-nature imperialistic arrogance - “We can shit on it and we don't care.” **Conclusion - How will the future see us?** I listened to a [recent lecture by Carmody Grey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIEQeG3IRM4&ref=robinboardman.com). She’s a Catholic theologian and she describes that in that tradition, the problem isn’t nature. A dominant idea in ecological spaces is that to save nature, we need to join and make peace with nature. But really, nature will be fine for millions for years. What we need to ask ourselves is what we want to sustain? It’s our humanity. That realisation gives us an amazing opportunity to no longer hate ourselves but transform ourselves to save the world. There is a dark side to living - we hate ourselves, we kill etc. And understandably so because we are thrown into a world with choice and then we have to deal with our internal instincts and passions and external strategy. We have to learn how to manage and deal with them. This tradition gives us a break - it's actually okay, let's love ourselves more. **RR** People in the future will have different values so it's hard to know how history will judge us. The [Pope wrote brilliantly on spiritual thinking and environmentalism too](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781612195285?ref=robinboardman.com). David Graeber's [last book](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9780241402429?ref=robinboardman.com) is a hymn to human agency and optimism of the will. This is the spirit I believe we should take. **RH** A pathway to wisdom is suffering. Despair, depression are always labeled simplistically bad. But they are pathways to destruction of the ego. People who have hard lives are often wise because they have lived the extremes in themselves and in the world. That provides the potentiality for a psychological change. For me and others, it has meant a shift to a service mentality. I’m not out to succeed but to be in service for common good. That's the miracle of human purpose. This is why we need to revisit theological positions so we can rediscover the intensity of what it means to be human rather than superficial, consumerist bollocks of the last 30 years. It's not all about saving the world and it's all about who we want to be. **RR** And here we are now modeling what we want in humanity - we fundamentally disagree *and* we can sit down and talk about it. --- To sign up for the Radical Flank (Just Stop Oil) click [here](https://actionnetwork.org/forms/civil-resistance-2022?ref=robinboardman.com). For more on the Moderate Flank, follow Rupert on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/greenrupertread?ref=robinboardman.com). If you enjoyed this summary, please do subscribe to my newsletter for more digested versions of books and debates on civil disobedience and the climate crisis. For more from Rupert and Roger, check out their books below. Disclosure: If you buy books linked on my site, I may earn a commission for coffee money from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops **📚**☕ Share ### My Rebel Grandmother - Fi Radford Obituary URL: https://robinboardman.com/my-rebel-grandmother-fi-radford-obituary/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:16:38.000Z *'There is no Wealth but Life' -* John Ruskin When I read the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's first report from 1989, I felt betrayed by older generations. Written a decade before I was born it clearly outlined the risk of global temperatures increasing between 1.5-5 degrees celsius. These business-as-usual scenarios describe "irreversible consequences" for our world. And yet, despite the Prime Minister's claim of a[ "successful"](https://metro.co.uk/2021/11/15/boris-johnson-insists-cop26-was-success-despite-last-minute-coal-change-15606115/?ref=robinboardman.com) COP26, we are on track for a 13.7% increase in global emissions by 2030\. Business-as-usual prevails. My first and deepest reaction was rage. Rage at a "Boomer" generation who were abandoning their ancestors in their destructive wake. How could they let this happen to us? How could they turn a blind eye to the suffering of their grandchildren? Then I met Fi. Fi was a remedy to my rage and a salvation to that disappointing generation. Today is the one year anniversary of her death. I first met her in my 2nd year at Bristol University. She helped to [collaborate on a joint action](https://www.facebook.com/RobinBoardmanPattison/videos/10213538572212086) with the students of Fossil Free and her group Grandparents for a Safe Earth. We joined each other in resonating songs outside a branch of her fossil fuel financing nemesis, Barclays. It was a joyous and powerful show of intergenerational action. It both helped to bridge the painful divide between us and to strengthen the "People Power" message of our protest. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/11/Barclays-with-grandparents-1.jpg) With the grandparents, encouraging Barclays to ditch fossil fuels From then on Fi was a constant support to me. She attended all my court hearings in Bristol and Bath. Each time she came with a fellow aged agitator and a new tech problem for me to solve. *"Robin, I need to get these grandparents on Facebook!*" She was part of that grand audience of 3 that attended one of my first Heading for Extinction Talks in June 2018\. As she listened I saw her sky blue eyes twinkle. They had the look of one who was ready to be both the maternal mentor and the mischief maker. Ready to give it her all in fact, even risk prison to help save future generations. Afterwards, we were both active in setting up Bristol XR. She led Welcome sessions for new rebels and helped to create legend by getting arrested to protect Berta Cáceres (The Pink Boat) in Oxford Circus. I'll never forget the day our paths crossed in Westminster one oppressively grey morning. I was over a week into the [VoteNoHeathrow hunger strike](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei-a%5FRbe8TU&t&ref=robinboardman.com) and desperately weak. As I trekked up Victoria Street for our daily protest outside the Labour Party offices, who did I see but Fi. She was with her gang of rebellious grandparents locked-on inside BEIS. Both of our groups were tired and weary from ceaseless campaigning and it gave us such a boost to cheer each other on. I know her generation's guilt weighed heavily on her shoulders. She gave it her all and yet she felt there was something irreconcilable about the past. How could she look her grandchildren in the eye knowing what had been done to them? Being the brave and wise person she was, she actually faced such a difficult question head on. She gave a brilliant Ted Talk titled "[What did you do in the Climate Crisis, Grandma?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQs%5FG0hoSpE&ref=robinboardman.com)" In it, she rallies a guilty generation to become the white haired warriors willing to save the day. The "Silver Panthers". Rather than avoid the pain of her generation, she let it become the fuel for action. In northern India, high in the mountains of Meghalaya, there is a bridge of ravelling fig roots. Built and maintained by local families, it helps river crossing during perilous monsoon seasons. It is known as the Living Bridge. Each generation must teach the next about the slow process of binding and tending to the roots because it cannot be completed in any one person's lifetime. Fi taught me how to build living bridges. Ones based on friendship, kindness and diversity. Her legacy is part of our own living bridge. It is a service to our community and our natural world that will live on past our days. *Fi left a fund that supports young people in their climate action. Applications for grants will be invited towards the end of the year. More information can be obtained by emailing [*firadfordmf@protonmail.com*](mailto:firadfordmf@protonmail.com)* Share ### Civil Resistance in The Australian Climate Movement URL: https://robinboardman.com/civilresistanceaus/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:15:37.000Z This is a summary of a new academic paper on the state of play in the Australian climate movement. The paper offers an analysis of the successes and failures of the movement and makes recommendations for campaigners on how to improve their rates of success. It covers hundreds of groups and campaigns between 2010 and 2020 and focuses on two core case studies on the Stop Adani and Fossil Free movements. The [original paper](https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/civil-resistance-against-climate-change/?ref=robinboardman.com) was written by three researchers, [Robyn Gulliver, ](https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/contributor/robyn-gulliver/?ref=robinboardman.com)[Kelly Fielding](https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/contributor/kelly-fielding/?ref=robinboardman.com) and [Winnifred R. Louis](https://www.nonviolent-conflict.org/contributor/winnifred-r-louis/?ref=robinboardman.com). ## Table of Contents - Key Takeaways - Context - Civil Resistance Groups and Tactics - State Repression - Mapping Climate Change Civil Resistance onto Movement Frameworks ## Key Takeaways - There have been some substantial sucesses such as delaying new coal mines and securing large divestment commitments. However despite this, Australia’s response to climate change is still woefully inadequate. - Increases in civil resistance from 2018 has also seen increases in repression. Movements will need to adapt to increased government repression particularly in the UK, US and Australia, which have introduced bans on climate protest and new police power for supression. - Study strongly suggests that groups adopt goals and campaign targets to help motivate supporters and create clear communication materials. - Data suggests that short-term, high-intensity activism to remove corporate pillars of support may be highly effective in delaying the development of large fossil fuel projects such as Adani Coal Mine. ## Context Climate change groups around the world arise from different contexts. > In Australia and New Zealand, concern about climate change consequences has coalesced around the impact of large development projects. Climate activism in other developed nations such as the UK and Germany has emerged out of antiwar and anti-nuclear movements. Whilesome argue that environmental groups and activists in the United States have historically neglected issues of race and justice, climate activism in that country has deep roots in the environmental justice and civil rights movements. In the global south, climate change activism has intersected with anti-globalization and anti-poverty issues. Thus, there is a huge diversity of actors and actions that together comprise the civil sector response to climate change. > Some of the earliest identified climate-related civil resistance actions to have occurred date from 2002, when Greenpeace activists shut down Esso gas stations in Luxembourg. Over the following decade actions against diverse targets flourished. Protests against mountain top removal coal mining in the United States began in 2005, “climate camps” combining eco-loving workshops with trespass and squatting began in 2006, and further protests against coal mining began spreading in many countries. The emergence of a new organization named 350.org more clearly linked climate activism with civil resistance, most particularly during two global actions against fossil fuel industries . The first 2009 Global Day of Action resulted in more than 2,500 actions in 181 countries, and the second 2016 “Break Free” actions spread across six continents, including Australia, where over 2,000 individuals blockaded the country’s largest coal port. Over the next few years, resistance activity continued . ### Australian Context > Over the last few decades, Australia has begun to experience the impacts of climate change. For example, the millennium drought from 2001 to 2009 resulted in severe ecological damage to extensive river systems, causing a water crisis in most Australian cities and a major reduction in agricultural production. Catastrophic forest fires or “bushfires” in recent summer seasons—most particularly in 2009 and the 2019–20 season—are associated with the changing climate. > It also has a strong tradition of skepticism and doubt toward the need to take climate change action. This skepticism and doubt have resulted from and contributed to the so-called “climate wars” between the major political parties during the past decade. Emissions trading schemes have been proposed and shelved, a carbon pricing scheme legislated and removed, and the issue of climate change itself has destabilized and deposed prime ministers. ## Civil Resistance Groups and Tactics ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/10/image.png) There has been a large growth in groups since 2006 but many fall into inactivity ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/10/image-1.png) Information sharing events such as public talks are the highest and growing rapidly. The environmental movement uses a wide range of tactics, particularly information sharing and eco-activities such as conservation. However, from 2018 the number of civil resistance tactics rose substantially from 541 events in 2018 to 1554 in 2019\. This came with the rise of Extinction Rebellion and School Strikes for Climate. These groups are much less likely to seek charitable or legal status in Australia due to their illegal activity. After the lawsuit on 350.org’s charitable status for its involvement in organising the Breakfree Blockade, many of these groups prefer the autonomy of no legal status. This avoids Government legal repression but it does let individuals rather than the group faces the consequences. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/10/image-2.png) Rallies and school strikes have been some of the most popular tactics alongside civil resistance ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/11/outcomes.png) This table of outcomes shows that almost half of climate change campaigns organized in 2017 achieved some form of success. Campaigns targeting businesses achieved the highest proportion of success (31%), closely followed by campaigns aimed at political targets (28%). ## Case Studies Two cases studies are used and both focus on campaigns against corporations. Corporations are a key target because research shows that a small number of corporations, 90, are responsible for ⅔rds of total industrial carbon and methane emissions. ### Stop Adani The Adani coal mine is projected to release an estimated 705 million tons of carbon pollution into the atmosphere each year, which is similar to the annual emissions generated by countries such as Malaysia or Austria. The campaign has so-far failed to stop the mine but has been able to delay the project by 9 years and encourage many of its financees to withdraw support. In particular, the use of disruption by a small number of groups against specific targets—such as blockades and sit-ins in corporate offices and contractors’ workplaces—has achieved considerable success. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/11/adani.png) Sectors targeted by the Stop Adani Campaign Stop Adani groups secured 63 wins against secondary targets, with the most wins involving targets that were going to finance the mine. This data suggests that directing actions at secondary targets to remove corporate pillars of support may be highly effective, at the very least, in delaying the development of large projects. In addition, the data suggests that short-term, high-intensity activism against certain secondary targets may be more likely to result in success. ### Divestment The campaign to get investment funds to divest their money from fossil fuels has won in many large, key funds. However, they are mainly low hanging fruit targets such as local councils and pension funds. The vast majority of coporations, financial instituions and Universities, despite years of protest, have yet to divest. Despite early sucess in divestment, the campaign has been unable to sustain the high pressure required, particularly in Universities where many of its supporters are transient students. As with the Stop Adani campaign, a range of civil resistance and other tactics have been used by activist groups against their targets. However, unlike the Stop Adani campaign, disruptive civil resistance does not appear to be linked to successful outcomes. ### Case Study Conclusions Analysis from the case study data indicates a higher success rate when using civil resistance tactics against corporate targets. Apart from emerging signs that local and some state governments may be prepared to announce climate emergencies or to draft supporting statements against the mine, few other wins against government have been achieved in either campaign. Although local government announcements recognizing a climate emergency indicates increased awareness of the issue, there is limited evidence that any governments are actually changing their practices or policies to reduce carbon emissions ## State Repression The Australian Government has increased repression by introducing higher fines and harsher sentences for protest. It has challenged the charitable status of environmental orgs (e.g Greenpeace, 350.org and Australian Conservation Foundation), banned protest devices (i.e lock-ons) and Brisbane Council has banned XR members from using council services. Despite increased repression, the amount of protest groups and demonstrations has increased - likely showing the backfiring effect of increased represssion to spark outrage among the public who then join the demonstrations. While repression in the Global South has led to the deaths of environmental activists, in the Global North/West it is more likely to take the form of increased legal pressure and reducing the rights of protest. For example, the Federal Government challenged the charitable status of 350.org for its support of illegal activity in the Breakfree Blockade in Newscatsle Coal Port inn 2016\. Higher fines have been introduced for activists as high as AUS$10,000 for an XR coal train blockade in 2019\. There have been approximately 536 arrests of climate activism since 2016. Despite these challenges, the movement has been able to adapt to a range of repression through its often decentralised structure. The main groups are not charged fines on a national scale because of their lack of organisation status. Other established organiations often help them with any legal challenges and legislation they require. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/11/Australia-arrrests.png) Chronology of civil resistance repression ## Mapping Climate Change Civil Resistance onto Movement Frameworks There are range of models that have proposed the necessary requirements for social change. This section takes the data from the Australian movement and maps it on those models to see if they are filling the criteria. ### Joanna’s Macy Great Turning Model 1. Holding Actions and Resisting **✔️** 2. Creating Alternative Structures - Limited amount of work to build local resilience, mainly by Transition Towns and XR. 3. Shift in Consciousness and Values - Limited data but signs of a shift in support for Biodiveristy, Eco-Education, Religious Environmentalism and Green Party. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/11/macy.png) ### Brecher’s Climate Insurgency Model ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/11/brecher.png) ### Political Process Model ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/11/political-process.png) I hope you found this summary helpful and that it helps to develop your activism. If you are interested in more like this, sign up to my newsletter. Learn more on [civil resistance](https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/civil-resistance?ref=robinboardman.com) and help hone your rebellious craft! *Disclosure*: If you buy books linked on my site, I may earn a commission for coffee money from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops **📚**☕ Share ### Four Lessons for the Long Haul - What Long Covid has taught me on resilience URL: https://robinboardman.com/four-lessons-for-the-long-haul/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:14:39.000Z Originally published on [Writer's Rebel](https://writersrebel.com/four-lessons-for-the-long-haul/?ref=robinboardman.com) (05/11/21) When the paramedics came for me in the sweltering days of May 2020 it didn’t feel real. I had just passed out in the heat and collapsed headfirst into a radiator. I’d seen paramedics attend to friends and relatives, but in my feverish state, it didn’t sink in that they would come for me. My youthful sense of invincibility quickly faded. I found myself unable to lift my limbs or produce full sentences, and interminable headaches left me in despair. The after-effects are still with me today, in the form of Long Covid. Now that I have regained some energy, I would like to share some of the lessons that illness has taught me about enduring difficulty in the climate and ecological crisis. ## Lesson One: We need courage, not hope *Let the pain be your fuel. Let your total rejection of the status quo give you the courage to transform your life, to stand out from the crowd, and demand transformative action.* [**Margaret Klein Salamon**](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19550671.Margaret%5FKlein%5FSalamon?ref=robinboardman.com)**,**[**Facing the Climate Emergency**](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9780865719415?ref=robinboardman.com) For the first few months of my illness, I woke up every morning hoping that I would suddenly recover and have “my life back”. Rather than letting go of what I could no longer do, I kept trying to live as before. But this detachment from the reality of my situation only brought me more pain. Once I had the courage to face the uncertainty of illness, I let go of anxiously awaiting a miraculous recovery, and relaxed into my situation. In facing my pain and isolation I was able to accept them. They are a state of exile and vulnerability that can be a source of strength for navigating our bittersweet world. The same is true for facing the climate emergency. If we hope that technology will save us or that criminally negligent governments will suddenly act responsibly, we are recklessly gambling our future on very poor odds. This can only bring pain. Once we start to tell ourselves the truth about the situation, we can find pride in our honesty and compassion in our grief. It’s from here that the resolve to take action will emerge. ## Lesson Two: Follow your bliss *Joseph Campbell’s saying, “Follow your bliss,” is not an irresponsible phrase that ignores the pain of life but a reminder to receive pleasure and contentment, even in the depths of suffering.* **Toko-pa Turner,** [**Belonging**](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781775111207?ref=robinboardman.com) In illness, every day feels like a struggle. When it shows no sign of improving, or worsens, I lose my morale to keep going. It's an exhausting and depressing limbo. In the darkest and weakest hours, I saw my life flash before my eyes and began to dream of people and places I hadn’t seen for a decade. I saw the highs and lows that had shaped me into the man I am today. This gave me some space and perspective to see things from a different angle. From each challenge, there was a learning on how to face hardship. From each joy, an inspiration to live to the full. Holding on to these feelings helps bring balance to life. In activism, we follow a true passion and through it find our fullest potential. But even this has its limits. Every step along the way we need to find that balance of difficulty and joy for our own wellbeing. Our struggle for climate and ecological action brings many challenges that can lead us to despairing inertia. In my sickness, a joy was as simple as the view from my bedroom window: a falling blossom, a scudding cloud, a wandering snail. Such joys became my music, my dance, my poetry, my comedy and my sport: ways to relax into whatever challenge chronic pain brought. Everyday joys can give us the resilience to keep facing what we must face. So as we rebel with all our might against the existential threat posed by the climate and ecological emergency, let’s also cherish what makes our existence so precious. From that reflective space we can find the courage to keep going. ## Lesson Three: Words Matter *“The merest schoolgirl, when she falls in love, has Shakespeare or Keats to speak her mind for her; but let a sufferer try to describe a pain in his head to a doctor and language at once runs dry.”* **Virginia Woolfe,** [**On Being Ill**](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9780199556069?ref=robinboardman.com) As I slowly regained my speech, I struggled to find the words to describe what I was going through. It struck me that there is a serious lack of language on both chronic illness and climate chaos. If you are unable to express a feeling, you are unlikely to find any solace for it. For our society to be able to come to terms with the emergency we need a language to relate to in films, literature and TV. Some of the best I think we have so far are *Parable of the Sower* by Octavia Butler, a piercing portrayal of the rise of sexism and racism in an uninhabitable America; *The Road* by Cormac McCarthy, for its portrayal of the gritty end-point of mass extinction; and early Studio Ghibli films such as *Princess Monoke/Nausicaa,* whoseheroines champion coexistence with the natural world. However, the vast majority of current work focuses too much on apocalypse scenarios, produced to scare the shit out of us, instead of relatable everyday stories. How about a climate drama set in water scarce Somalia? Or a northern woman’s heroic adventure to save her hometown from flooding? We need more romances that argue over [whether having kids is responsible](https://raveller.world/pregnant-in-a-climate-crisis/?ref=robinboardman.com) and comedies that mock the insanity of our toxic system like *The Yes Men* or Simon Amstell’s *Carnage*. Stories are key for an emotional connection to the challenges humanity faces. Our stories of rebellion can be cathartic for climate anxiety and stir a generation of heroes ready to speak out for their futures. Let’s start writing them. ## Lesson Four: Belonging *“By reviving a community, built around the places in which we live, and by anchoring ourselves, our politics and parts of our economy in the life of this community, we can recover the best aspects of humanity. We can mobilise our remarkable nature for our own good and the good of our neighbours.”* **George Monbiot,** [**Out of the Wreckage**](https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781786632883?ref=robinboardman.com) Being housebound and unable to hold conversations without paralysing headaches is extremely isolating. Yet even in the depths of my pain I was able to appreciate the love of our community. Rebels gave me cards, voice-notes, medical advice, paintings and - best of all – cakes, cookies and biscuits fresh from the oven. The feeling of belonging to and being supported by a community of kindhearted and extraordinary people gave me strength every step of the way. Together we are building a community that can hold us through the dark days with pride, friendship and joy. We are showing not only the best aspects of humanity but also the solid foundations of a successful social movement. The climate and ecological emergency will shape the rest of our lives. So take every opportunity you can to nourish and prepare yourself for the long journey ahead. You’ll not only be more resilient, but you’ll find more joy. \-- Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this or can think of someone who could benefit from these words please do share it. Share [Lessons for the Long Haul Booklist](https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/lessons-for-the-long-haul?ref=robinboardman.com) **Disclosure**: *If you buy books linked on my site, I may earn a commission for book money from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops* **📚**☕ ### Letter from a Bristol Cell - Make Ecocide Law URL: https://robinboardman.com/letter-from-bristol-cell/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:16:00.000Z Originally published in [Bristol Post](https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/court-spray-paint-protester-why-2114297?ref=robinboardman.com) (16/10/2018) What do we have to live for when the world around us is falling apart? Runaway climate change, as mentioned by the UN Secretary General last month, now poses an existential threat to the human race. Everyone gone forever. We have the right to challenge this collapse. Our demonstration outside the Magistrate’s court exercised this right. To freely challenge unjust laws is a privilege which our ancestors fought and died for. Our society is built on their sacrifice and we must honour them by protecting it for future generations. The destruction of the environment is not necessary for our prosperity. Indeed, as many studies have shown, environmental destruction acutely damages our physical and mental health. A legal system which fails to protect the environment is failing to protect us and therefore must be challenged. That is why we risked arrest and why we are prepared to risk prison sentences in the future. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/09/bristol-court-7.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/09/bristol-court-3-3.jpg) In the face of societal collapse, we need to remember what gives our lives meaning and what gives us the strength to go on. In the words of climate scientist, Professor Kate Marvel, ### “We need courage, not hope, to face climate change” We need the courage to challenge the corrupt system when we know human life is at stake. The three of us arrested outside the Magistrate’s cour**t** follow in the footsteps of over 300 brave water protectors who have been arrested since January 2017, while campaigning against Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road fracking site. Last month, the #frackfreethree, Simon Roscoe Blevins, Rich Roberts and Rich Loizou; a soil scientist, a piano restorer and a teacher were sentenced to a year and a half in prison each for peacefully protesting. Their sentence, the first of its kind since 1932, illustrates the corruption of our legal system. Upstanding citizens are sent to jail while corporations walk free with blood on their hands. Together we can build on the efforts of Mission Lifeforce to create a world where ecocide (the destruction of ecosystems by humans) is a crime; where ordinary people have a meaningful say on the future of our country, rather than leaving it in the hands of a corrupt political system, and where we can appreciate nature and our lives rather than sleepwalking through them. ### ‘I heard our call for change being sung through the streets’ In the back of the police van on Jamaica Street, I heard our call for change being sung through the streets. It was beautiful moment that filled every part of me with the assurance that what we are doing is right and just. While bystanders may attack our tactics, at this point we are out of options. Species are dying out faster than when the asteroid hit our planet. Climate breakdown threatens billions of lives. This escalating crisis demands escalating action. We need to be dramatic and bold in the face of such dark times. Join Rising Up Bristol on Oct 31st, as we declare an Extinction Rebellion against the UK government for it’s criminal inaction on climate change and the sixth mass extinction. We are so very nearly out of time. Help us to do what is right. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/09/bristol-court-4-2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/09/bristol-court-5-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/09/bristol-court-6-1.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/09/tom-bristol-court.jpg) **Update:** We were found guilty at Bath Magistrates Court (Bristol Magistrates Court was found to have a conflict of interest over the case) on 30/01/2019\. Thank you to everyone who donated to help us pay the £1800 fine! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/70/d970b9e4-d4c5-4486-a3b3-38b5ca927106/content/images/2021/09/tom-and-me-after-court.png) Share ### Standing by Our Lecturers - University Strikes URL: https://robinboardman.com/standing-by-our-lecturers-university-strikes-archive/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T17:16:15.000Z Orginally published in [Bristol 24/7 ](https://www.bristol247.com/opinion/your-say/standing-lecturers-made-realise-just-important-universities/?ref=robinboardman.com)(Archive - 07/03/2018) When I stepped out of the student bubble, I found the world bursting in chaos. Like many, I find simple peace in the love of those around me and in the good deeds of those who aren’t. The 12 Americans, for example, who campaigned for decades to end the US’s involvement in East Timorese genocide. The thousands of people from different backgrounds and beliefs who joined Martin Luther King on his second march to Montgomery. The 120 women that are currently on hunger strike at Yarl’s Wood detention centre. History won’t remember the names of these people but our future lies in their footprints. To stand aside in the face of social injustice is to hide in their shadows. To be honest, I didn’t think the revolution could start with lecturers’ pensions. My fight began with the governments and institutions around us that threaten human existence. They threaten to tear this beautiful planet apart by investing in the businesses that do so; fossil fuel companies. The University of Bristol currently invests over £700,000 into these companies despite the World Bank, the City of New York and even Edinburgh University doing the exact opposite, divesting from fossil fuels. The Universities Superannuation Scheme, the lecturer’s private pension fund managers, invest over £750 million. Looking around me on the picket lines, I’ve found myself chanting alongside familiar voices in the same struggles against such destructive investments. In the same spirit in which we fought for divestment, many of the same voices remain united for wider change. As senior management continued to ignore us as students calling for divestment, I felt my heart go out to the lecturers on the picket lines. The struggle for social justice and our planet’s security became one in the same. Our voices must be heard. If we stand by while by our lecturers lose their pensions, or better put, their unpaid wages, we stand to lose sight of the world we wish to create. Solidarity and morality must guide our institutions. We can’t lose them and the wonderful people that make them to ill-thought out risk assessments. The ethics against abandoning staff and destroying our environment have been lost in the graphs of profit. Fifty hours into our occupation, I can see the timescale for change. Standing by our lecturers has made me realise just how important our universities are. They are fundamental to the formation of so many minds and hearts. I see that right in here in our occupation of the University’s senior management team’s offices. The collective decisions that we have come to as a group in this process are the building blocks of a movement, and its progress we wish to see in the world. A world where power is both transparent and accountable. Where our cause goes beyond the picket line – where our cries for change are carried from the polling booths to the houses of government. Breaking into this building was a step towards shedding light on the power that controls us. Its £21,000 interactive whiteboards and post-it notes to save energy highlight the hypocrisies in its structure. The occupation brings us into the space that power dominates and allows to us to explore and break down its hierarchies. There are 20,000 people in our university. The majority of them can’t create the world they wish to see because a few in senior management see things differently. It is time for us, the students and staff, to guide that vision for our university. What have we achieved? As a group we have forced Vice-Chancellor Hugh Brady to the meeting table where we expressed both student and staff concerns. From this first meeting we have opened new discussion between the university and the lecturers’ union, the UCU, on their guidance around financial measures taken in accordance with the strike and working to contract; a proposal to withhold deductions over two-t0-three pay periods and that all withheld salary pay be placed into student hardship funds. These conversations could not have been had on the picket lines or in the rallies. They also would have not have been possible without them. To win, we have brought our agenda to his table. Standing on the fifth floor balcony with a flare in my hand, our causes united, I felt my heart beat with those that stood in the rally below. We are one in the same. We are the ones that will fight for the world we want to see. We are the ones who will win. *Robin Boardman is a student at the University of Bristol and part of the group of students occupying the offices of senior management staff in solidarity with lecturers striking over changes to their pensions.* Share