Extinction Rebellion to meet UK political leaders – Sadiq Khan (today), Michael Gove and John McDonnell (tomorrow)

EXTINCTION REBELLION: THE REBELLION CONTINUES

This is going to be an important week for the ongoing International Rebellion, as Extinction Rebellion UK engage in political conversation on the ecological and climate emergency:

Representatives of Extinction Rebellion UK will meet with Michael Gove at 11.30am Tuesday 30 April at DEFRA. This meeting will be filmed and released to the public.

We will meet Sadiq Khan today at 3.30pm at City Hall and John McDonnell (time TBA)

Extinction Rebellion is calling on politicians to: Tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change. Act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. Create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.

People from across the movement are invited to input on the strategy for these meetings.

Please follow this link to share your views.

Deadline for feedback is midnight tonight.

Over the last ten days, we have made history

Extinction Rebellion, along with the school strikes, Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough, have brought the climate and ecological emergency to public awareness with conversation happening in the streets, in pubs and in Parliament.



Whether you were one of the 1,096 people arrested on the front line, coordinated workshops, ran NVDA trainings, spent days locked on, spent nights on arrestee support, liaised with police officers, cooked food for thousands, supported from home, glued yourself to barriers, spoke your truth to the media, were the media that spoke the truth, donated hard earned cash, danced down the street to the samba band, handed out leaflets, spread the rebellion across social media or cleaned up the streets…YOU made this rebellion.



Thank you. We now have a historic opportunity.



This week, we will bring our demands to political leaders, as we move further towards climate and ecological justice.



Meeting with Michael Gove

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has invited Extinction Rebellion to meet with him at DEFRA. He will be joined by ministers from other departments, including the Treasury.

This will be Michael Gove’s opportunity to show he’s ready to act on the climate and ecological emergency. The meeting will be filmed and released to the public.



Members of the Political Strategy team will represent Extinction Rebellion at these meetings.



The Political Strategy ,team formed following the November phase of the UK Rebellion when we occupied five London bridges. They are mandated to lead negotiations with the Government and other political leaders.



Representatives of this team were selected to meet with Michael Gove and also include members of the Citizens’ Assembly working group, the Action Strategy team and Extinction Rebellion Youth.



We need your input

You, the movement, are invited to share your input which will directly influence the strategy of the meeting.

Please follow this link to share your views. Deadline for feedback is midnight tonight.



Today – Meeting with Sadiq Khan

Members of Extinction Rebellion London will meet with London Mayor Sadiq Khan at 3:30pm this afternoon at City Hall. This meeting comes after he received a strong reaction on Twitter when he said London should return to “business as usual” during the International Rebellion. In response, Sadiq Khan agreed to meet with Extinction Rebellion.

Sadiq Khan declared a climate and ecological emergency in December last year following the November rebellion and the assembly asking him to act. Today, Extinction Rebellion will be using this opportunity to hold his feet to the fire. The meeting will be led by Extinction Rebellion’s London Development representative, Hannah van den Brul who will discuss our three demands and push for the creation of a Citizens’ Assembly for Londoners.



We look forward to engaging further with political leaders who step forward to tackle the climate and ecological emergency.



Meeting with John McDonnell

John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer has confirmed that he would like to meet on Tuesday. More details to follow.



Please provide your input via this link by midnight tonight.

A Legacy Moment

Sam Knights, member of Extinction Rebellion’s Political Strategy team said:

“The legacy of our political leaders will stand or fall by what they do now. Either they take steps to give our children the future they deserve or they do nothing. They must respond to the climate and ecological crisis with the clarity and urgency our children demand.

“In order to protect life on earth the UK must commit to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. The current political system is not capable of implementing such fundamental changes to the way we live. The creation of a national Citizens’ Assembly is essential to ensure a just and democratic transition away from fossil fuels.”

With love and rage, the rebellion continues.