Extinction Rebellion & Repertoires of Contention
Extinction Rebellion have announced a temporary move away from direct action such as road protests and lock ons and announced a mass protest at Parliament on 23rd April. Their statement notes that direct action has not shifted things enough. They are looking to a more inclusive protest working together with others such as trade unions who see system failure as a key issue.
Media coverage has presented it as a surprise but in fact a discussion has been underway amongst climate activists and the left. Just Stop Oil which has carried out more direct action protests than ER recently has changed to a tactic of slow moving walking protests in central areas. In the main these are lawful.
Suella Braverman has been ranting at police to crack down on climate protesters for a while. Senior officers seem to be mindful that Home Secretarys come and go and come back but if they exceed their legal powers court cases and damages may follow.
Even so police say they have tens of climate protesters on remand in prison where they are likely to be for months. Where cases have come to trial, while some not guilty verdicts have been returned in higher courts in general prison sentences follow.
Prison is quite purposively not a nice place to be and the experience is designed to dissuade people from protest and stop them doing it again.
The individual against the State doesn’t often end well for the former without a much wider collective campaign.
ER have moved to a different part of what the historical sociologist Charles Tilly called the Repertoire of Contention which runs all the way from letter writing and meetings to General Strikes and beyond.
What works or doesn’t varies over time depending on support, impact and opposition. The ER change will be welcomed by many but direct action can still have its place and the balance may change again depending on what works and what doesn’t.
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