We, the rebels

2019 / 2021

“This is our darkest hour. Humanity finds itself embroiled in an event unprecedented in its history…The science is clear: we are in the sixth mass extinction event and we will face catastrophe if we do not act swiftly and robustly…We, in alignment with our consciences and our reasoning, declare ourselves in rebellion against our Government and the corrupted, inept institutions that threaten our future…We refuse to bequeath a dying planet to future generations by failing to act now. We act in peace, with ferocious love of these lands in our hearts. We act on behalf of life.”

(Declaration of Rebellion – Extinction Rebellion)

Roger Hallam, researcher at King’s College of London and Gail Bradbrook, molecular biophysics researcher at the University of Manchester, founded Extinction Rebellion in 2018, a non-violent socio-political movement to prevent climate change, halt biodiversity loss and minimise the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse.

A movement that uses maths as a tool to plan protests and measure their effectiveness. The founders spent years studying the history of social protests from 1900 until today, each time extrapolating the key factors that led to success or failure. From this data they create the protest algorithm, thanks to which they build the strategy of their actions.

Extinction Rebellion protests, considered acts of civil disobedience and inspired by movements based on non-violence, paralyze cities, involving tens of thousands people all around the world. Blocked bridges, human chains, artistic performances and activists lying down and glued to streets and subways. In London during one of the international rebellions, Scotland Yard police arrested thousands of people whom Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, described as “Rebels, uncooperatives crusties living in bivouacs that smell of hemp“.

Activists ask politics to tell the truth about the ecological emergency, to zero carbon emissions by 2025 and to make a national citizens’ assembly operational to oversee regime change as part of the creation of a new democracy.

They believe in a regenerative, healthy, resilient and adaptable culture that takes care of the planet and life, as the most effective way to create a thriving future for all humanity, constantly improving in small steps to heal and progress, as individuals and as a community.

Thousands of rebels march on Oxford Street, one of London's shopping streets. Throughout the procession, numerous groups of street artists follow one another and alternate. London, October 12, 2019.

Extinction Rebellion protesters witnessed one of the arrests of an activist by the Scotland Yard police. The hourglass symbol inscribed in a circle is the work of the British author ESP. It's used by the group to indicate: "there is no more time". London, 09 October 2019.

An activist is arrested on the evening of the eviction of the “XR Burning Earth” site. In two weeks of protest there have been over 1.400 arrests. Detention for this kind of criminal code violation is from 8 to 12 hours. London, October 13, 2019.

The night before the clearing of the Trafalgar Square camp, there was a big demonstration in the square. The traffic in this central area was blocked and diverted during the protests. This created discomfort to motorists, but made an area of the city usually unlivable, a completely different and much more humane place. London, October 13, 2019.

An activist from Extinction Rebellion London stages a performance with her affinity group featuring animal skeletons symbolizing the sixth mass extinction and the funeral of our planet. London, October 12 2019.

The Red Rebel Brigade was created by Doug Francisco and Justine Squire of Bristol's Invisible Circus for the Extinction Rebellion spring uprising in April 2019 in London. These ethereal otherworldly beings came from a slow-motion mime show called Blanco that the Invisible Circus theatre group toured for many years as a street show in the 1990s. Red Rebel Brigade is an evolution of these ghostly all-white characters that were first developed for the war demonstrations against Iraq in 2003. Venice, July 11, 2021.

On the day of the second global climate strike, thousands of students also organized a protest demonstration outside the education department. Daze Aghaji, one of the leaders of the school strike movement said: “The turnout today is great and shows that young people are on the rise and that things will change”. London, May 24, 2019.

David is an Irish activist who has lived in Madrid for a long time. Now he has moved to a small village in Andalusia near Arcos de la Fronteras. A small country far from the chaos of big cities. He has always been a climate activist, although he is not directly part of the movement, he participates in their actions. Madrid, 6 December 2019.

The great Climate March runs like a river through the Paseo del Prado until it reaches Nuevos Ministerios, where a big concert and the reading of a poster are held in the late evening. The presence is massive. It is estimated that more than 500 thousand people took part in the long march. Madrid, December 6, 2019.

Polly is an English activist living in Bologna, Italy. She reached Venice during the occasion of the National call of XR in the days of the famous Venice carnival. During these days, in the Italian city symbol of climate change, the group of activists organized several disruption actions. Venice, February 22, 2020.

On the last day of the G20, five activists staged dead mermaids along the canal in Campo Santi Apostoli, denouncing the failure of governments to protect our future and that of the new generations from climate and ecological collapse. The mermaids represent our dreams, but especially the dreams of the new generations, which we have a duty to protect. Venice, July 11, 2021.

One of the last actions organized had as its purpose the occupation of the streets in the middle of the City of London. The financial district par excellence. On the morning of October 14, hundreds of activists gathered in the square in front of Bank Station. Many of them stuck to the ground in protest. London, October 14, 2019.

A group of activists from Fridays For Future and Extinction Rebellion celebrate together the end of the Third Climate Strike at the Plaine de Plainpalais. Geneva, September 27, 2019.

Under the sun of Parliament Square there’re thousands of signs: “The kids are all right”, “Where the fuck is the government”. Ivy, a student said: “ I’m here because I don’t think it makes sense to have an education if there’s no future...I’m so frustrated knowing that the only people who really care are those who can’t vote...”. London, May 24, 2019.

The police forces deployed by Scotland Yard are numerous. Trafalgar Square is literally overflowing with people occupying every inch of the square, blocking the traffic and arranging themselves in such a way as to create inconveniences to the road system. The aim is to be arrested in order to be heard. London, October 13, 2019.

Thousands of rebels march on Oxford Street, one of London's shopping streets during the funeral march organized to express their grief and despair over climate change. Behind the banner with "Act Now" written on it, activists declare: "We unite in grief, anger and love of life on Earth". London 12 October 2019.