Extinction Rebellion announce ‘mass occupation’ in response to general election result

Extinction Rebellion UK has responded to the general election result by inviting people to join Upgrade Democracy. It will be a three-day mass occupation of a high-profile location from Friday 30 August to Sunday 1 September. As the result of the UK general election was declared, Extinction Rebellion’s response is clear:

it’s the system that needs to change, not the government.

Extinction Rebellion: general election result means nothing

Analysis by Vote Climate showed all of the main political parties’ plans would take us over 1.5C between 2030 and 2035. Moreover, Keir Starmer’s new government is at best not going far enough – and art worst, actively complicit in the destruction of our planet. For example:

• Labour has said it will not cancel recent oil and gas licences – including the controversial Rosebank oil field in the North Sea – which will lock-in global average temperature rises of 1.5C.
• After receiving a donation from climate denier and former Global Warming Policy Foundation Chair, Lord Donoughue, Labour reneged on a commitment to invest £28bn a year on the green transition.
• Labour has not committed to review our carbon budgets in the light of the latest science.
• Labour has not committed to being led by an emergency citizens’ assembly on climate and nature.

Extinction Rebellion spokesperson and Olympian Etienne Stott said:

This should have been the Climate and Nature Election but the media and politicians failed us. Labour are simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The new government will struggle to do the right thing in a system that has been corrupted by oil and gas interests that have been spreading denial and delay for the last 40 years.

Only a citizens’ assembly can break through the influence of lobbyists, donors and a hostile right-wing press. And only People Power can force the change we need onto the political agenda. That’s why, at the end of August, we will hold a mass occupation targeting a symbol of our broken system to demand an emergency citizens’ assembly on climate and nature.

We invite people to bring their creativity, humour, collective intelligence and their tents to join us at the location in the South East which we will be announcing shortly. People who are not able to camp are welcome to join us for one or more of the days.

This is not the change we need! It’s time to upgrade our democracy!

Featured image via Extinction Rebellion/the Canary