On Sept. 9, activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) are once again blocking the A12 to persuade the government to stop giving benefits to the fossil industry. I too am concerned about global warming and went to an XR information day on a rainy day. It was about the consequences of climate change if the global average temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees, and about civil disobedience to do something about it.
Although I shared the same concerns with everyone sitting there, I didn’t feel like a participant. I missed the broader context; there was not a word about institutional inequality, climate refugees and climate justice, which makes people like me, who are aware of such inequality and also want to do their part, unlikely to join.
ALREADY, PEOPLE ARE FLEEING THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION
Stop with sustainability, be just
Climate justice should be a second foundation. Sieger Sloot, also an actor and XR activist, was convicted of sedition in early August for his call for an A12 blockade earlier this year. He could not be arrested in January because he was on ski vacation, so he was accused of hypocrisy. His defense: he had traveled there in an electric car.
All good intentions, but think further: an essential component in electric car batteries is the raw material cobalt, which comes from Congo. For a few dollars a day, Congolese children work in degrading conditions in life-threatening and polluting mines, so that we here can ease our conscience in very expensive cars. This is a textbook example of neocolonialism, a system built on oppression and exploitation. Without an awareness of global climate justice, nothing will change. ‘Our energy transition is colonial!’
Trendy disobedience
XR’s actions have something removed about them; it’s a day out on the A12, blocking some cars, meanwhile filming everything, taking a selfie for your Insta and sitting with a full banner with texts like ‘stop fossil subsidies’ waiting for you to be allowed back home because you have to play a show in Venlo or relieve your child’s babysitter. If you don’t have dinner or a party in the evening, you can stay longer and get wet for free. If you really want to experience something, you can also go for a real arrest.
An important part of XR’s campaign strategy is to get as many activists as possible arrested without resistance. They believe that outsiders will take their message more seriously as a result. Experiential activist Carice van Houten said of this in the podcast Peptalk & Friends by comedian and actor Pepijn Schoneveld, “I experienced it as something very relaxing,” and she said she also felt very safe, "because we were sitting there so vulnerable and non-violent. I thought: we’re not doing anything wrong, so there’s really not that much that can go wrong.’ In Van Houten’s words, the bus trip with the police to the ADO Den Haag stadium (where the protesters were released again) was "like a school trip.
For God’s sake, let’s stop this kind of completely misguided, naive stupidity! Because it is a strategy that does not apply to black activists and activists of color. Many XR activists may trust that the system is on their side and they won’t be harshly punished, but for people of color, the system works differently. For them, nonviolent protests often have greater consequences; they are more likely to get a criminal record, which has serious consequences for their future. This is anything but relaxing and safe.
ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENTS SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
The UK branch of XR came out with a statement in July 2020: ‘We now recognize that our tactics of arrest have made it easier for people with privilege to get involved and that our behavior and attitudes have fed the system of white supremacy. We are sorry that this recognition has come so late.’ (translation by the author, ed.) So XR is well aware of institutional inequality and even apologizes for it, but in the meantime they still refuse to explore other approaches to organizing social change. What a missed opportunity.
Climate change affects us all, which is why environmental movements should be accessible to everyone, including marginalized groups. To build an effective environmental movement in which everyone feels safe and represented, XR must broaden its outlook and stop glorifying arrests. The other day, an XR activist said to me that climate change is, of course, primarily systemic change. I couldn’t agree more. I heartily advise XR to change the system, starting with itself.