Critics Of Extinction Rebellion Seem To Have Forgotten Their Goal Is To Save The Planet

You might have noticed some national newspapers were missing from newsagents’ shelves on Saturday morning after the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion (XR) blocked access to printing presses owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

Protesters targeted presses which print The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Sun on Sunday and the London Evening Standard, accusing the papers of failing to report on climate change.

Their stunt drew a lot of criticism. Prime minister Boris Johnson said: ‘A free press is vital in holding the government and other powerful institutions to account on issues critical for the future of our country, including the fight against climate change. It is completely unacceptable to seek to limit the public’s access to news in this way.’

But, the enormity of the climate emergency means their stunt had to be epic in order to grab people’s attention. They’re not going to get their cause noticed if they don’t make an impact.

Disruption has long been a key weapon in the arsenal of people who want to commit direct action. Great causes in the past will have pissed people off, but that’s what was needed to get there eventually. In the short term, XR have alienated people, but in the long term, maybe history will show it was worth it.

Just look at the Suffragettes: they smashed windows and Emily Davidson stepped out in front of the King’s racehorse. She was trampled to death, but that sparked sympathy and support to the women’s cause. Just this week, Hollywood star turned environment activist Jane Fonda said civil disobedience is what’s needed right now if we’re going to act to avert the climate crisis.

Critics of XR seem to have forgotten that their cause is to save the world so our grandchildren have a chance of living on a planet that isn’t engulfed in flames. It’s not a niche cause or a marginal interest. It’s every single one of our futures at stake. The extraordinary events of this year have kept XR out of the headlines, this was their way of coming back with a bang.

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However, the stunt does make me worry that they have alienated the very people that they need to get on side in order to spread their message and get anything accomplished. Boris Johnson's government and certain sections of the press are eager to depict anyone who is against them as cartoon villains – this protest won’t have helped. But to save the world we need everyone on side, united across the political divide. I worry this will ruin any chance of that. Angering sections of the media and the government risks XR's efforts being counterproductive.

Similarly, their incident at Canning Town station in London last year – where a protestor disrupted a train of normal people trying to get to work – alienated a lot of people. XR need to think carefully about how they can bring everyone with them, because their cause is the most urgent in the world.

Yes, in the short term this weekend’s protest might seem counterproductive, but making a noise is what’s needed right now. I just hope their next stunt will remind us that, wherever we stand politically, we’re all in this together. These conversations need to be at the forefront of public discourse.

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