Welcome again to everybody! Make yourself at home. Is anyone reading this? In the time-honoured tradition of our group, here is our weekly discussion thread!
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I’ve been thinking a bit about the next level of response to the climate crisis the last week. Popular protests haven’t been working up until now, so what will? Industrial sabotage?
Back where I’m from in the settler state known as Canada the government is constructing ever more pipelines with extreme and violent prejudice. I just read a post from a group of (I think they call themselves land defenders) who sabotaged some of the materials being used in the construction of a pipeline. Of course they run the risk of creating a environmental disaster, but they are also trying to stop an even bigger disaster in the most effective way they know how (after trying everything else and getting brutalized and tossed in jail for it).
Where I live now, in Germany, there have been multiple high profile protests over coal mines in the last decade, all to no avail. The public-private partnership of violence rushes in to make sure that the coal will be extracted and burned.
Even simple stunts like blocking traffic or splashing bank and oil company buildings with blood or red paint is met with a response I perceive to be counter-productive.
And yet we don’t have any time left. We have to stop burning fossil fuels yesterday. Extreme material conditions call for extreme responses, don’t they?
before getting rid of capitalism entirely, making capitalists suffer is likely the only way to make anything change, so I’d say industrial sabotage is justified in most cases
There have been industrial sabotage events in the UK over the last year or so which did seem to work. In the instances I remember the companies in question were arms manufacturers supplying Israel. Of course protests, calling your elected representative, etc (doing things The Right Way TM) doesn’t work, but sneaking into the factory overnight and busting their machines certainly puts an end to things. At least temporarily.
This is the famous pinata economy, beat rich people with sticks till money come out
Have you read any Andreas Malm? Good little book, Corona, Climate, Chronic Emergency, is good. He has some short lectures on YouTube, too. He argues what you’re arguing.
I’ve heard the name. Will add to my reading list.