To Rebel or Not?

Extinction Rebellion started this week with global action in over 60 cities worldwide. Victoria was one of them. We happened to be on the Johnson Street bridge at the time of the protest.

Times Colonist photo of the action on the bridge. Photograph: Adrian Lam

The protest led to the closure of the bridge to vehicle traffic, except for transit buses and emergency vehicles. Bicycles and pedestrians were able to cross. I was impressed at how the Victoria police were handling it. Everyone seemed quite cheerful. One bus crossed while I stood nearby, and the driver tooted his horn in support; people cheered in response.

The Extinction Rebellion logo of the hourglass in the circle represents time running out for the planet.

The next day the Times Colonist newspaper ran a very grumpy editorial. The action, claimed the editors, was "an assault on our civic way of life".  Furthermore, the editors queried "by what right do these groups claim to impose such turmoil?" They argued that the protest was "hostage-taking" due to the inconvenience imposed on people who could not carry out their normal everyday business. They also said the protesters were "arrogant" and "overly filled with righteousness".

They thought the police should have been much harsher in laying down the law, saying that because they did not do so, others will also be encouraged into civil disobedience. But I think the police took the right approach in not making the event confrontational.

The Times Colonist editorial board entirely missed the point that Extinction Rebellion is conveying, that government inaction is forcing protesters to civil disobedience because of the severity and urgency of the climate situation. It's not just another protest for the lawn of the legislature, as the editors suggested; climate change is an urgent issue but it is not being dealt with as such. Those who protest with Extinction Rebellion see this as our last opportunity for serious action.

The "11 years" in the banner comes from the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Non-violent protest has a long tradition. There is a TED talk by Erica Chenoweth about her research showing that non-violent action has been twice as effective as violence and armed conflict at causing societal change. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w)

I am reading an online booklet by Roger Hallam, one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion. He has titled it "Common Sense for the 21st Century". It is a play on the title of the original pamphlet "Common Sense", which remains a best-selling American title and is still in print today (Source: Wikipedia). Printed in the year 1775, "Common Sense" argued for the separation of American colonies from Great Britain. In other words, it argued for the American Revolution.

The sub-title of Hallam's piece is "Only Nonviolent Rebellion Can Now Stop Climate Breakdown and Social Collapse".

Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King are two of the most well-known, articulate spokespeople for non violent resistance. 

Gandhi's Salt March, 1930 (Image: public domain)

Gandhi led a march to the sea to gather salt, the production of which was controlled by the British in India to favour salt imported from Britain. Starting with 78 hand-picked volunteers, by the time they reached the sea thousands had joined the march. Nearly 60,000 people were arrested. It took years, but this act led to the ultimate declaration of Indian independence from Great Britain in 1947. 

In 1963 over 200,000 people marched in Washington demanding equal rights for African Americans. King's speech is still quoted today, "I have a dream".

Martin Luther King, August 28, 1963. (Source of image: AFP / Getty images from https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/08/26/photos-mlk-dream-speech

And in Canada, the largest act of civil disobedience in the country's history -- British Columbia's "War in the Woods"-- brought thousands of protesters in the early 1990's to the remote area of Clayoquot Sound, and resulted in the arrests of almost 1,000 people. These protests of logging in old growth areas led to some wins.  However, the overall war has not been won yet; while some areas have been protected, the rate of harvesting old growth areas is unsustainable in B.C.

Protesters blocking a logging road at Clayoquot Sound, July 1993. Source:  https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/so-many-people-giving-a-damn. Photo: Chuck Stoody/CP Images

I am inclined to believe Hallam's thesis, that we have reached the point where only nonviolent rebellion can stop climate breakdown and social collapse. 

However, I also believe deeply in Martin Luther King's words: "True pacifism or non violent resistance is a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love." 

Those of us who are moved to civil disobedience need to meditate on the power of love. We need to come from a place of love and understanding, especially of those who would oppose us.