Emerging Securities the varied locations and causes of cleaner rivers, fresher air and a fair whilst targeting an area in which dissent that have arisen few elites actually reside. throughout 2019 and provides historical reference to those “[XR] need to decide wheth- Further points of anger derived seeking to ensure permanent and from Canning Town's proximity to meaningful change. However, the er the early morning com- Canary Wharf. The incident increasingly violent methods to taunt zero-hour muters living from pay- seemed employed by protesters and contract workers through authorities must be confronted. check to pay-check… are of disrupting what would normally Ignoring this volatile dynamic not be a simple commute to London's only shreds away social cohesion higher significance than the financial hub, upon which their but belies a far more systemic, rest. It is up for debate looming climate crisis .” livelihoods fundamental and concerning whether or not the choice of issue: why are our political launching a protest during the systems failing to fulfil the wishes early morning hours serves to of those who sustain them? and just plan that addresses global cement characterisations of XR as a inequality. What seems to group of ineptitude and privilege. substantiate their views is a desire Whether these assertions are valid for government action against the or not is a matter of personal potentially crippling effects of opinion. What is clear, however, is climate change and such righteous that the misguided tactics of demands have attracted celebrity October’s protests have hardly attention. Though the cause is rendered XR a well-intentioned intrinsically virtuous at its core, group in the eyes of London's many groups remain disillusioned working classes. with the movement, the working This is not the only error of class in particular. The purpose of judgement we have seen. Three this article is therefore to unpick the days prior to the Canning Town factors driving many working-class incident, XR protests coincided with voters away from being affiliated the Queen's Speech, demonstrating with XR despite, in many instances, a symbolic intent to pressure the sharing similar views and fears of government to properly respond to environmental collapse. threats facing our climate and environment. Despite these The scenes witnessed at Canning virtuous intentions, reports Town on 17th October 2019, during indicated protesters at Bank station which an XR protestor climbed on blocked an ambulance responding top of a rush hour DLR train in an act of protest, By Hiba Abdi encapsulates the strained relationship between Extinction Rebellion (XR) is currently environmental protesters one of the biggest, homegrown and working-class citizens. forms of organised protest taking When we unpick the place in the United Kingdom. XR incident, many strategic identifies as a global environmental issues on the part of XR movement. It aims principally at begin to unravel. One of using non-violent civil disobedience the most poignant issues is as a tool to show the British the choice of location. government the necessity of Canning Town, in East environmentally friendly sets of London, is a deprived town policies, in order to avoid tipping situated in the borough of points in the climate system, Newham, which ranked 31st biodiversity loss and the risk of out of 32 London Boroughs social and ecological collapse. in terms of median Some of their objectives include household income in 2018. establishing a Citizens Assembly, Clearly, there is some whereby ordinary people are cognitive dissonance involved in decision making, between XR's passionate reducing global carbon emissions demands for elites and to zero within the next 10 years, government officials to take investing in a greener economy, systemic climate action,
WorkingClass Apathy or Poor Strategy? Explaining the Limitations of XR
KCL Politics Society
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