Britain: Climate Change Protester Faces Prison over Damage to a Government Building
By Laurence Humphries, RCIT Britain, 10 May 2022, www.thecommunists.net
A Leader of Extinction Rebellion is on trial for damage to a government building during protests against the Tory governments’ refusal to adopt policies to lower emissions and have a free carbon policy for energy, involving getting rid of nuclear and other fossil fuels which directly affect the planet. There is strong evidence that the planet is overheating producing extremes of climate like forest fires, drought and excessive rainfall.
Extinction Rebellion and other Eco warriors have been campaigning to save the planet through direct action including demonstrations and protests on a number of motorways in Britain.
“The trial of Gail Bradbrook, who is accused of damaging the Department for Transport building during a protest in 2019, was due to start on Monday. Attorney General, Suella Braverman, asked for the advice around the Bristol case to be reviewed. Because of this, Ms Bradbrook's trial has been delayed until November. The 49-year-old appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday accused of causing £27,500 in damage to the Department for Transport building in Westminster by smashing a plate-glass window during an environmental protest in London on 15 October”. [1]
In fact, the trial was suspended because Bradbrook is using as her defence human rights which were used in the case of the Colston 4 who smashed and toppled the statue of Edward Colston, a slave owner in the 17th century.
Extinction Rebellion and other climate change protest groups have been very prominent in showing the effects of how the climate is changing and the planet is in danger of overheating and causing massive manmade disasters which could result in the deaths and destruction of all species on the planet including humankind.
Forest fires in the United States and unbearable heat in India
News outlets like Reuters have recently reported on extremes of climate in the southern part of the hemisphere leading to deaths either from forest fires or excessive heat.
“India's western state of Maharashtra has registered 25 deaths from heat stroke since late March, the highest toll in the past five years, with more fatalities likely elsewhere in a country sweltering in temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius. Scientists have linked the early onset of an intense summer to climate change, and say more than a billion people in India and neighbouring Pakistan were in some way vulnerable to the extreme heat.” [2]
“Hundreds of households in the historic New Mexico city of Las Vegas were told to evacuate on Monday as fierce winds and drought pushed the largest active wildfire in the United States closer to town.” [3]
While the Climate Change affects all continents, it is clear that the peoples in the poor countries of the South suffer the most. Countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and India – capitalist semi-colonies which are exploited by imperialist monopolies and Great Powers since centuries – have only very limited resources to combat the effects of climate change.
Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter Join Forces to oppose new Police Bill
The reactionary Tory Government has introduced a new Police Bill to restrict rights to demonstrate against these new powers of the state. It will lead to incarcerations, arrests and a move towards a authoritarian bonapartist state. The RCIT has already identified this development during the period of Lockdowns – the COVID Counterrevolution.
Both Extinction Rebellion and Black Lives Matter have come together to oppose this basic attack on democratic rights. Black Lives Matter broke the restrictions imposed by the COVID Counterrevolution unlike many leftist and centrist groups who adhered to a Zero Covid policy and capitulated to the bonapartist state.
“This Saturday 3rd April at 1pm, a large coalition of groups collaborating to oppose the Police, Crimes, Sentencing and Courts Bill will unite around the country to march for the right to protest. Groups include Extinction Rebellion, United for Black Lives, Black Lives Matter local groups and many more. In London people will meet at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park for 1pm to march through the streets in a celebration of unity, diversity and protest and in direct opposition to the Policing Bill that seeks to stifle them”.[4]
Extinction Rebellion versus Shell PLC
Both groups have been demonstrating openly either through direct action, sit down and refusing to move or other protests most notably against big energy conglomerates like Shell PLC. Many Extinction Rebellion supporters have been arrested demonstrating outside Shell PLC.
“Seven people – including two Extinction Rebellion co-founders – charged with £25K worth of criminal damage at Shell’s London HQ will appear at Southwark Crown Court in London for a jury trial. Dubbed the ‘Shell 7’, this is the second jury trial of an Extinction Rebellion related case and comes almost two years to the day since Shell was the focus of nonviolent direct action when Extinction Rebellion’s April Rebellion in 2019 began. During the protest – which lasted over 24 hours – activists poured fake oil, glued themselves to the windows and blocked the doors. They cracked several windows, climbed onto a roof, dropped banners and painted the exterior with ‘Shell Knew’, ‘Climate Criminals’ and ‘Lies’. The activists also sprayed ’Stop Ecocide’ and ‘For Polly ’ on the wall of the building. Polly Higgins was founder of the Stop Ecocide campaign and passed away six days later.” [5]
Insulate Now
There have been recent protests by a group called Insulate Now which calls the government to introduce insulation in all homes in order to reduce energy costs. They have been closely allied with Extinction Rebellion and have taken direct action to new levels by blocking on motorways.
“Nine Insulate Britain protesters have been jailed for illegally blocking traffic on the M25. The campaign group began a wave of protests two months ago, blocking major roads and motorways in England. The group has blocked a number of major roads in and around London, including around Parliament. Insulate Britain has also targeted the M25 near the Dartford Crossing, the Old Street junction and the Blackwall Tunnel - where there were angry exchanges with drivers. The government has taken out a number of court injunctions to try to prevent further action, and new powers targeting such protests have been announced. These include four injunctions granted to National Highways, banning demonstrations on the M25, around the Port of Dover and on major roads around London, and one to Transport for London.” [6]
The struggle for future of the planet
The RCIT in its manifesto puts forward a programme of action against climate change. We show that without the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism it is impossible to secure the future of humanity.
“Step by step, the big monopolies – mostly based in the imperialist states – destroy the climate and, with it, the natural living conditions for increasingly larger sectors of humanity. If we do not stop them, they will make the planet as a whole inhabitable. According to the latest data, 2020 ended of the warmest decade on record. It is likely the oceans are now at their hottest for 1,000 years and heating faster than any time in the last 2,000 years.
Only a radical reversal of the energy and environmental policy can save our planet and our future. The RCIT warns against any illusions in capitalist governments and their “climate summits”. The only way to combat climate change is the formation of a global mass movement fighting for an international emergency plan. The struggle for necessary environmental reforms must be combined with the aim of overthrowing capitalism, because only then can such an emergency plan be implemented fully and permanently”. [7]
* For a united front with all forces fighting climate change including Extinction Rebellion and the Insulate Now groups!
* Convert the energy and transport system - global phasing out of fossil fuels and nuclear energy production!
* Massive research into the use of alternative forms of energy such as wind, tidal and solar power! For a program for global reforestation!
* Nationalization under workers' control of all energy companies and all companies that are responsible for basic supplies such as water and agricultural products as well as the airlines, shipping and rail facilities!
Footnotes
1) Extinction Rebellion co-founder's trial delayed by Colston review - BBC News
2) Extreme heat kills at least 25 in India's Maharashtra state (msn.com)
3) Dangerous New Mexico wildfire menaces historic city | Reuters
6) What is Insulate Britain and what does it want? - BBC News