Extinction Rebellion NYC declares “We Want to Live!” as activists climb into the globe at Columbus Circle, kicking off September Rebellion
Climate activists rallied in Central Park and Columbus Circle to protest a government that fails to protect us, amid intersecting crises of racial injustice, COVID-19 and the climate emergency.
2020 has been a year of tipping points. Climate breakdown, COVID-19, racial injustice – all these are symptoms of a toxic system that is driving us to extinction. At the root of these threats to life are centuries of white supremacy, patriarchy, and colonialism – a pattern of treating the earth as a commodity and Black and Brown lives as disposable.
It would be easy to sit back and despair because government has failed us. Politicians ignored the warnings about COVID-19, as they have denied the facts of the climate crisis. State-sanctioned violence against people of color continues, while politicians fuel racism to gain votes and powerful elites burn the planet for profit. Extinction Rebellion NYC feels that it’s time to take collective action to reclaim the future, to dismantle the oppressive systems destroying the planet, and secure a just, life-sustaining planet for all. WE WANT TO LIVE!
On Monday afternoon, over a hundred people, including members of Extinction Rebellion NYC and several organizations with which it stands in solidarity, Defend Democracy in Brazil, Extinction Revolution Amazônia and Refuse Fascism NYC, gathered in Central Park near the famous Bethesda Fountain. “Blood” (actually red dye) was poured around the mandala in front of the fountain, to symbolize those who have died of COVID and at the hands of police, as well as those who continue to die from the effects of climate change. Then, carrying a “lifeboat” containing life-affirming messages written on ribbons, the participants marched to Columbus Circle, where they blocked traffic for some minutes and paraded around the Circle. A trio of volunteers then climbed up to and inside the steel globe outside the Trump Hotel, and hung a banner with the words “Climate Justice Now!” before police arrived to arrest them. It is not known at this time if the three have been charged.
“We are a nonviolent organization that focuses primarily on the ecological and climate crisis,” said Nicole Fragala, an Extinction Rebellion NYC spokesperson. “We stand in solidarity with other organizations targeting acts of oppression and injustice as we cannot transition into a sustainable, regenerative culture if we do not acknowledge and address systemic racism, the erosion of democracy, and the toxicity within the capitalist system. This is an event to show people the beauty of raising our voices in rebellion.”
“I chose to join Extinction Rebellion,” she continued, “because this pandemic was an eye-opening example of what could happen when we don’t act soon enough on the science, and the organization insists that the media tell the truth about the science. I’m thrilled to be out here today standing with other activists from the group.”
This event is the first of several planned events to take place in September, which Extinction Rebellion is calling the September Rebellion. For additional details, see the website here.
For links to photos, click here.
About Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government.
Extinction Rebellion’s key demands are:
1. Government must tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
2. Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
3. Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.
4. Government must commit to a just transition in order to maintain a livable, just planet for all.