If you are wondering what effect the non-violent direct action of Extinction Rebellion has had, then you need to look no further than the notoriously populist right wing British Press. After three days of the April Rebellion, The Daily Mail ran the above headline, hoping to put pressure on the Police (who, to be fair, had done everything they could to be friendly and accommodating of our peaceful protest) to act more aggressively against us. But as the newspaper's attempts to portray us as violent extremists became clearly baseless, and our steadfastness and peaceful nature became clear to the public, the perception of us, and the narrative of the press began to change.
To this:
This:
This:
And This:
The message still needs to be put out by the BBC, and many XR campaigners are doing sterling work to change this, but the mood is changing. Few people, except perhaps Donald Trump, now openly deny that the climate emergency is real, and man-made. Even our own Government in the UK have commissioned reports that warn of food shortages, coastal flooding, and civil disorder (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584281/uk-climate-change-risk-assess-2017.pdf). A key statement by our own Government from this report is ' The Government recognises that climate change will present significant risks to the availability and supply of food in the UK.' (paragraph 2.5). This is some kind of XR 'project fear' - this is REAL.
I have been notified by the prosecution in my forthcoming trial that they do not intend to challenge any of the science relating to climate change. They know that they cannot challenge the truth. What we need to do now is to all tell the truth, and to challenge the Government to act rationally in response to the accepted evidence. The exact opposite of what they are doing at present.
And that, friends, is why we must rebel.