Homage

to the XR Red Rebels, and all the XR people who are protesting across the globe.  I felt particularly despairing yesterday, after watching the live feeds of police dismantling the different gatherings of XR sites followed by the Metropolitan police using Section 14 to ban XR protests from the whole of London.  What on earth is happening to human rights in the UK? 

My spirits are slightly higher today after watching XR re-group and continue targeting different organisations and then heading to Trafalgar Square - lots of speeches including from George Monbiot.  He talked about the people who have been protesting, they are wanting to arrest the decimation of the planet and that governments should be joining in with wanting to arrest this too, but instead they want to arrest us.  He said he was here to be arrested and in case the police are in any doubt about that he'd brought a small sign.  It said "I'm assembling with Extinction Rebellion in breach of Section 14".

He said thank you to the police who had now brought together the people wanting to defend our life support systems with people who want to defend our human rights.  And that when people are arrested - other people take it more seriously, they recognise the sacrifice and that people mean what they say.

"Everyone here today is a criminal - you should be proud of yourselves.  We are criminals united."

I am grateful to everyone who is protesting around the world.

Here's hoping that the High Court will quash the police's decision and avoid setting a very dangerous precedent.

Should add - he was successful in getting arrested.