Reflections on Rebellion – How People Power can Take the World By Storm

The recent documentary Rebellion tells the story of how Extinction Rebellion went from a vision to a global movement. This blog post reflects on the theory of change behind both Extinction and Animal Rebellion and how we can build transformative people power. 

What if I told you that one book held the answers to achieving positive social change? Would you believe me? When I first picked up a book that claimed to do just that, I was sceptical. I was at a stage of my life where, after becoming aware of the scale of injustice affecting animals, humans and our planet, I was increasingly desperate for any glimmer of hope that change could happen. 

I remember spending hours and days thinking and talking to friends about what we could do to make change when, one day I stumbled upon a book in a bargain bookshop that changed everything. Years later as I dedicate my time to helping grow Animal Rebellion, it seems almost unbelievable that this very book, which came into my hands so coincidentally, is the very same book that inspired the creation of XR and the subsequent birth of Animal Rebellion. So, what is the research that lies behind Animal Rebellion and Extinction Rebellion and how can one book be so influential?

The book I found that day was ‘This is an Uprising: How Nonviolent Revolt is Shaping the Twenty-First Century,’ written by two brothers: Mark and Paul Engler. The Engler brothers are writers, organisers and social movement researchers who explore the recent history of protest across the world and present a model of social change based on strategic nonviolence and momentum organising. Momentum is a form of social movement which combines structure-based organising with the goal of creating mass moments of mobilisation, where millions of people rise up to demand change. 

In their book, the Engler brothers use examples from movements such as the Indian Independence Movement, the Civil Rights Movement, the Serbian ‘Otpor’ Movement and the Arab Spring to show how innovative, creative tactics can topple the ‘pillars of power’ of a corrupt or unjust regime and inspire enough people to take action for change. How much is enough? The book quotes research by political scientist Erica Chenoweth which finds that no movement which has mobilised 3.5% of the population in sustained, active participation has failed to achieve its aims. 

Not only that, ‘This is An Uprising’ makes a case for strategic nonviolence, again citing research by Chenoweth showing that nonviolent movements are twice as likely to be successful in their aims as violent ones, a figure which is illustrated by examples from movements which have acted nonviolently for both morally and strategic reasons. 

These movements have managed to be more inclusive than their violent counterparts and, importantly, have been able to build public sympathy for the cause and highlight the unjust nature of state violence and repression. For me, this book opened up a whole new world, one which was filled with people who were asking the same questions that I was about how we can make change happen. And, it wasn’t long before the lessons in the book were playing out right in front of my eyes.

For many, the early days of Extinction Rebellion were a transformative and incredible experience. The urgency of the climate crisis paired with the conviction that, as the popular chant goes, the people united could never be defeated inspired thousands of people to take to the streets and hundreds to face arrest. 

I watched from the other side of the world and was stunned to see the blueprint laid out in books like ‘This is an Uprising’ come to life. Active popular support + nonviolent action → government declaring a climate emergency within a few months! 

It was at this point that Animal Rebellion began, as a small group of people who realised that the same lessons could be applied to the struggle for animal and climate justice. With the same dream of mobilising 3.5% of the population and the same understanding of tools like mass mobilisation and nonviolent action, Animal Rebellion was formed from a plan with impressive proof of design. But, is social change really something that can be planned in advance?

Chenoweth’s research and the conclusions drawn by Mark and Paul Engler have inspired a flurry of groups who are using the model of Momentum-driven organising to create movements for change. From training organisations like Momentum and the Ayni Institute, to grassroots movements such as the Sunrise Movement; the ‘cycle of momentum’ blueprint – which suggest that large-scale change can be achieved through escalating nonviolent action, active popular support and absorption of volunteers – is proving to be enormously popular around the world. Yet, at the same time, there are a number of challenges that arise when putting the ideas in practice. 

Cycle of Momentum

Research Context/Liberal Democracy Challenge

One of the most common critiques of the application of Chenoweth’s research in the Momentum organising model is the recognition that the context of the research is notably different from the type of movement it is being applied to. The dataset used in Chenoweth’s research focused on movements seeking to ‘overthrow oppressive regimes, resist foreign occupations, and to secede from a state.’ This is a different context from the one movements like Animal Rebellion and Extinction Rebellion find themselves in, leading to questions about the relevance of the findings and, particularly, the 3.5% rule. In a 2016 interview, Erica Chenoweth stated: “if a nonviolent campaign is aiming for… economic and social justice reforms… Do we see the same types of success rates of violent and nonviolent action? The answer is we don’t know yet because those types of data collection procedures are not yet fully developed.” 

What this tells us is that, while this research can provide us with valuable knowledge and insight, we’re yet to see whether the roadmap that has proved so effective for movements to overthrow dictators and oppressive regimes will have the same results with our mission for system change in a liberal democracy. 

Additionally, some key features of momentum organising relate to generating public sympathy and support (pg. 18). In previous movements, a key contributor to gaining this kind of support has been the effect of ‘repression backfire,’ where state violence and repression have had the backfire effect of increasing support for the movement. In liberal democracies, repression to protest movements is generally a lot less visible than in oppressive regimes. Violent responses are rare (although not unheard of and are a frequent reality for marginalised communities and, particularly, LGBT+ and BIPOC individuals). State repression often occurs behind the scenes, including through an incomprehensible legal system which has the effect of tying up protestors in endless court proceedings, which often end up with cases being dropped or thrown out. 

The tactics that work so effectively against oppressive regimes can fall flat in the political context of the UK. We can see this in the changing of policing tactics following April 2019, which led to significantly decreased media coverage for following rebellions and a large number of unlawful arrests.  

Mobilisation Challenge

Another challenge that arises is one of mobilisation. When movements are focused on ending a repressive regime or bringing down a corrupt dictator, this is something that generally affects almost the entire population. Srdja Popovic, one of the leaders of the Serbian Otpor movement, talks about creating a ‘line of division,’ where your messaging clearly speaks to the vast majority of the population, with only the clear villains being on the other side of the line disagreeing with you. The effects of a repressive regime are immediate and visible, they are being felt right at that moment by the people the movement is trying to mobilise. A challenge for movements operating in other contexts is trying to replicate that same sense of personal investment, often without the corresponding direct impacts. 

While movements like Occupy and Extinction Rebellion achieved this to a certain extent, mobilising vast amounts of people to demand change, an ongoing struggle for groups like these has been in sustaining this kind of active participation. In the West, we’ll often see a surge of climate action surrounding extreme weather events, particularly ones affecting other Western countries such as the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires. 

Between these upsurges of interest however, social movements mostly ‘operate on the margins of success with burnout a common companion to mobilisation’. Momentum organising talks about manufacturing ‘moments of the whirlwind,’  ‘explosions’ where many people suddenly care about your issue. However, it seems obvious that these moments are more likely to take root when people are being directly effected by the focus of your movement. Without the direct effects of a repressive regime being observable to everyone, the challenge of reaching 3.5% active participation is a significant one. This only becomes more challenging when movements seek to advocate for other-than-humans, including movements for animal and climate justice. 

The Frontloading Challenge

A final challenge I’ll touch on is the focus that movements following the Momentum Model place on ‘frontloading.’ Frontloading is defined as “engaging in serious, strategic planning,” and “visioning our future while anticipating problems that will come up, so people can make aligned decisions without command and control.” This refers to organisations taking a period of time, generally 12 months or so, to plan out their story, structure, strategy and culture, with the understanding that this will enable the movement to build rapid momentum, mobilisation and escalation while maintaining strong processes, organisation and support structures for people and the organisation. 

If we look to current understandings of social change however, we can see that a dominant model of social movements is the ‘framing’ model which regards ‘creating a movement… (as) a cultural enterprise: an idea only ‘moves’ a group if it has cultural resonance.” What will have this resonance is difficult, if not impossible to predict. 

Additionally, in a fast-changing environment and media landscape, something which is relevant and important to people will be out of date six months later. This runs the risk of organisations investing a significant amount of resources (time, money, people) into building a movement which may entirely fail to capture the energy and attention of the public. 

So is there a golden rule for social change? Theories on social change have evolved over time. Early on, sociologists believed that social movements arose out of discontent which evolved into a belief that a successful movement depended on who could mobilise the right resources (money, people and time) to achieve a desired aim. In the last decade, a body of work referred to as ‘new social movement theory’ has attempted to explain the occurrence of recent social movements by understanding social movements as a “cultural enterprise” which succeed by creating an “injustice frame” which highlights a problem, a solution and a way that people can be part of change. 

Current understanding in sociology is that we can’t predict when a social movement will form or if it will be successful. This tells us that, while theories like Momentum are useful models, ultimately there is no golden rule or blueprint for change which will be successful every time. However, drawing together knowledge from a range of sources, there are some things we can say with some confidence:

• The best people to mobilise are closer than you think! A theme across social movement research is that movements succeed in mobilising when active participants are inspired and engaged enough to then mobilise their own friends and families. We can learn from this and focus on giving our base the skills and, importantly, the passion to show those around them why change is needed and why what we’re doing is important. 

• A strong, unified vision and messaging that connects to shared values is how we can unite people behind a common goal. Movements with a clear vision and that connect to people’s values, fears and desires are the movements that succeed in overcoming challenges and adapting to change.

• If you want to achieve mass mobilisation and create lasting change, nonviolence is the best way to go.

• There are many theories of change and many ways we have seen change happen over time. By learning from a variety of sources and movements and by remaining flexible, adapting to current situations and not being afraid to innovate, we can learn from the past and build new methods of change that are the best fit for the society we’re living in. 

Books like ‘This is an Uprising’ give us important insight which we can use to inspire our campaigns and strategy. What can be even more important though is what we learn when we take these theories and see how they play out on the streets. The relationship between activism and academia can be one of symbiosis where each group grows and thrives alongside one another. While there might not be one silver bullet solution for social change, what does exist is an incredible passion, determination and an extraordinary amount of skills and knowledge. All the movements written about in books like this weren’t following an exact blueprint. They, like us, were learning as they went and using tools and lessons from history to shape pathways forward that made sense in the context they were in. If we come together, aren’t afraid to try new things and learn from our mistakes and successes, what can’t we do? 

You can watch the Rebellion documentary on Netflix 

Keen to start rebelling and be part of a movement for change? Actions will be happening in London from the 9th – 17th April. Find out more and say you’ll be there by joining our Facebook event here: https://fb.me/e/2lLxYQmBO

You can join our telegram broadcast: https://t.me/joinchat/s17vhYFQ3qY5YTBk

Or our https://chat.whatsapp.com/HYcMc8iZ140BPOxE6yhp09

The post How Change Happens first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Activists, experts and a renowned human rights lawyer are in court today in London seeking an end to factory farming in the UK. Animal Rebellion stands with them and congratulates them on their unprecedented and urgent action.  

Today, Animal Rebellion is standing alongside Scrap Factory Farming as an unprecedented case against the UK government is heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. We are outside the court to show our support for this world’s first ever legal action to end factory farming.

The case has been brought by the Humane Being and is fronted by Dr Alice Brough and Humane Being co-founder, Jane Tredgett, represented by renowned human rights lawyer, Michael Mansfield QC. Their case includes over 1200 pages of content detailing the risks and dangers of factory farming. Dr Brough was a vet on UK pig farms. After seeing the unhygienic and stressful conditions for the animals and the appalling environmental damage done on-site, she quit to campaign for animal justice.

The case focuses on the threat to public health from factory farming, including antibiotic resistance and the significant risk of increasingly deadly zoonotic diseases such as bird or swine flu. 

Animal Rebellion recognises that dismantling factory farming is a key part of our demand for a fair and sustainable transition to a plant-based food system. We cannot address the climate crisis and achieve animal and climate justice without it. This is why we stand in solidarity.

Animal Rebellion spokesperson, Dan Kidby, says: 

“Removing the incredibly inhumane system of factory farming, that destroys the health of the planet and people, is an essential part of the move to a plant-based food system. We congratulate and support all of the volunteers and experts that have worked so hard to bring this urgent and unprecedented court case. Scrapping factory farming and ensuring a rapid, sustainable and just transition to a plant-based system has to happen if we are to reverse climate crisis.”

The Climate Impacts

The impact of animal farming on the planet is well understood.

At its most fundamental, we know that meat, fish and dairy industries, and the resources needed to support them, contribute 18-23% of all greenhouse gasses and are responsible for around 70% of all global agricultural emissions.

Scientists are clear: we don’t need these systems to feed the world. Meat, fish, eggs and dairy industries use around 83% of global farmland, but provide only 37% of our protein and 18% of our calories. Better use of this land could remove 8.1 billion metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere per year.

Methane gas is one of the largest contributors to global warming and can trap up to 100 times more heat in the atmosphere than CO2 over a five-year period. Most methane comes from cows that are fed low-quality grains that their bodies cannot digest, causing high levels of indigestion and flatulence. 

Water pollution

The current system is so bad on so many fronts, including the health ones highlighted by this week’s action. 

The meat and dairy industries also drain the world’s water supplies. From watering the crops that farmed animals eat to providing them with drinking water, and cleaning away the filth from farms, lorries, and slaughterhouses, the meat, egg, and dairy industries put a serious strain on the world’s water supply.

It is a double whammy in that the sector also pollutes the world’s waterways and seas. For instance, a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, highlighted a new class of agricultural pollutants in the form of veterinary medicines (antibiotics, vaccines and growth promoters), which move from farms through water to ecosystems and drinking-water sources. 

And only last week, alongside the decimation of fish populations and destruction of their habitats, the polluting effects of the fishing industry were exposed. Scottish fishermen were so incensed by what they see in the seas off Scotland that they went to a longstanding critic of their industry, Guardian journalist, George Monbiot. They exposed the deliberate and widescale disposing of nets and longlines at sea. This “ghost gear” drifting through the oceans presents a mortal threat to whales, dolphins, turtles and much of the rest of the life of the sea.  

Taking action

Monbiot concludes that, like the fictional US president in the recent movie, Don’t Look Up, here is yet another instance of the world’s governments, faced with ecological collapse, deciding to “sit tight and assess”.

The current failure of authorities to tackle the myriad issues from meat, dairy and fishing is why brave protestors have to step up, why court cases need to be brought, and why whistle-blowers need to be heard. 

The targets for curbing carbon emissions won’t be close to being met without a transition to a fair and sustainable plant-based system and, in parallel, so many other benefits would accrue. Our health would be better, the air would be cleaner, the planet’s water would be conserved and cleaner, and billions of creatures would avoid indescribable suffering. 

The post Animal Rebellion supports those taking the UK government to court today over factory farming  first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Many people across the world today are compelled to organise and take part in protests, driven by the impending climate crisis, government inaction and the desire to show that we can do better. Animal Rebellion protests seek to highlight the disastrous effects of the meat, fishing and dairy industries and show that a better future exists under a plant-based food system. These protests seek to disrupt business as usual and show the urgent need to change our systems and behavior.

The right to peacefully protest is fundamental to a democratic society. Across the globe, throughout history, there are so many examples of where protest has brought vital change – whether black civil rights in America, the end of British rule in India, the overthrow of dictators, same-sex marriage legislation, pro-choice rights for women along with so many other causes.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill is a blatant attempt to stifle protest. Typical of this government’s other moves to undermine democracy, the worst aspects of the bill have been added as  last-minute amendments, meant to get in under the radar, avoiding parliamentary scrutiny.
Writer and activist, George Monbiot, has said: “The government’s back-door amendments to the policing bill are tyrannical. We should be on the streets in our millions… This is proper police state stuff.”

Among other things, the bill would: 

• ban protesters from attaching themselves to another person, to an object, or to land, with a maximum prison sentence for this and other offences of 51 weeks; 

• make it a criminal offence to obstruct in any way major transport works from being carried out;

• significantly expand police stop and search powers so that the police would be entitled to stop and search people or vehicles if they suspect they might be carrying any article that could be used in the newly prohibited protests;

• introduce new powers to ban named people from protesting: people would be banned if they had previously committed “protest-related offences”;

• make it a crime to cause “serious annoyance” to the public, with a maximum penalty of ten years in prison;

• give the home secretary control over the definition of “serious disruption to the life of the community” and “serious disruption to the activities of an organisation”, both of which could determine when police powers are engaged to limit protest. Essentially, a minister could suppress protests that they do not like or agree with.

The power of non-violent protest scares governments. Often their tactics are heavy-handed, which rebounds on them, building more support for the cause in question. Where authoritarians are met with creative, colourful, resilient and diverse protests, their traditional responses fall down. It is easy to conclude that the bill is an attempt by central government to head off the problem before it occurs.

When thinking about Animal Rebellion or Extinction Rebellion protests, it isn’t hard to see the awful implications of the bill. It would put in jeopardy so many legitimate actions, whether it is occupying a McDonald’s outlet or distribution centre, blocking a dairy factory, scaling government buildings, or just marching for animal rights, climate justice or other causes. 

And it is not only groups like ours that will be stifled. What about local residents who want to protest against the loss of open space, the closure of a library or other services, the polluting actions of their water company, or the building of a new road? Trade unions and other groups will also be hit.

Indeed, it is hard not to conclude that it will now be difficult to attend a protest without committing an offence. Those clearly completely legitimate historical protests that brought so much positive change would arguably be made illegal under legislation such as this. 

The Green Party calls the bill “the gravest threat to civil liberties in more than a generation”. But opposition has also come from less predictable sources. Two former Conservative prime ministers, Theresa May and John Major, have spoken in parliament against the bill. 

George Monbiot asks, why aren’t more people on the streets, protesting while they still can? The Kill the Bill movement and groups such as Liberty have been doing their best to raise the dangers of what’s coming but most people seem oblivious to the implications. 

Perhaps it is the lack of media coverage. Perhaps it stems from so many other distractions, including Covid and government sleaze, corruption and incompetence. Perhaps it is just a misguided assumption that democracy in this country is safe. It is probably all of the above. 

If protests turn violent then there are already laws in place to deal with this. This bill is about state control and the erosion of freedom of expression. That is why we have to oppose it at every opportunity and continue to try to raise awareness of how it will erode all of our democratic rights. 

Follow the protest movement on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Kill-The-Bill-UK-105927524913222) and twitter (#killthebill) for regular updates and to learn about future actions. For more information and to sign the petition against the bill, visit https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/

The post The Police Bill: Our right to protest hangs in the balance. first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

During the civil rights movement, people organised and defied the unjust laws that separated Black people from equal freedom and rights with white people. The racist laws included affected all elements of society. They included the segregation of public transport which meant that Black people were often obliged to sit at the back of the bus, even when the front was empty and were forced to give up their seat for white customers. A young girl rebelled, refused to give up her seat and was arrested however due to her youth and status she was largely ignored. She wasn’t alone though.  A movement was growing and, soon after, a woman, Rosa Parks, took nonviolent direct action  by refusing to give up her seat on a bus for a white person. She was also arrested but this time  her actions sparked uproar and people boycotted the buses, organising amongst themselves to travel to and from work by creating taxis among themselves. Their rebellion and economic pressure made the bus company face a dilemma.

This story is one of many examples. The civil rights Movement, votes for women, the independence of India, the end of the Apartheid… If you remove direct action, arguably none of these would have happened or certainly not as fast. Throughout history, people have disobeyed unjust laws to push the creation of just laws. We can learn from their successes.

What is non-violent direct action (aka NVDA)?

NVDA is bold, disruptive, and makes change happen. It is a form of civil disobedience, which means people taking direct action are prepared to face  consequences such as arrests. NVDA aims to hold accountable the government and organisations that hold a high amount of financial and political power. NVDA is organised, well-planned and creative. People put justice and freedom at the centre of the debate by putting their skills, time and energy into crafting a media-catching action. Crucially, a variety of roles support the rebels who are able and willing to break unjust laws, so that people from all walks of life can help build impactful nonviolent direct actions. No matter how much time you have, you can find a role within the movement.

NDVA is one theory of how change happens within the movement for climate and animal justice. We respect and can support other organisations who have the same aim but different ways of achieving their goals. We are a sister movement to Extinction Rebellion which also uses NVDA, and we focus our demand on a just and sustainable plant-based future.

Direct action serves several functions

Why would power-holders change the status-quo, if meat, fish and dairy lobbies support them through close financial and social ties? Why would the institutions whose one and only goal is to make profit agree to expand their circle of concern beyond their self-interest, for the sake of making the world better? Why would they truly take responsibility and do more than greenwashing, if we don’t use our own power to disrupt them? Direct action can serve the following purposes:

– (SHOWING) PEOPLE HAVE POWER by withdrawing our consent to the political decisions made. People empower themselves to act to create a better future. We are more than voters, we can propose solutions to the big problems of our time.

– PUTTING THE ISSUE INTO THE SPOTLIGHT, which makes ordinary people think about it. It asks the pressing question: is our demand and the current system morally right or wrong?

– CAUSING ECONOMIC PRESSURE. For instance by blocking a burger patties factory, we disrupt the company, which prevents them from making money on the back of animals on that day.

– OFFICIAL POWERS FACE A DILEMMA: They can either repress us to keep business as usual, or listen to the people and make positive changes. Even if these changes are uncomfortable, it is still better than the pressure of the media and the need to deal with the disruption.

– SO THAT STATES AND CORPORATIONS ADAPT. By displaying a positive vision we are creating a plan, an alternative to the current problematic system, that corporations and states can follow.

NVDA for a just plant-based food system

Much (social justice) progress in history was achieved thanks to civil disobedience. NVDA is one type of civil disobedience. In 1930, Gandhi led the Salt March   in protest against the unjust tax of the British empire across all of India. Millions of Indians joined him in this act of civil disobedience which precipitated the movement for Indian Independence which succeeded in 1947.

This did not happen overnight and required strategic planning, collaboration and sacrifice, but they did it! In South Africa, people organised and rose against the unfair Apartheid – and, ultimately, they achieved real change.

When you think about it, it kind of makes sense: Strong institutions and profit-making companies won’t give people more rights freely, if it means more equality and less profit and power for them. And yet, we can see examples of where people rising up for change has led to power holders giving over more freedom because of movements for justice.  We can see this in the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, the Arab Spring and  marriage equality. When facing such strong power-holders, the people can choose to obey unjust laws. Or we can choose civil disobedience, which grants us the power to disrupt.

Since they don’t listen to legal protests and only make unambitious decisions, we have to act. If not now, when? If not you, who? Too long have we waited for a plant-based world.

A human spills fake blood in a royal fountain. Another climbs up, up in the air to stay over 62 hours in a bamboo structure that will block the supply chain of a fast food company. What’s next? The aim is a just and sustainable plant-based food system that nourishes everyone.

The responsibility to care and act?

Only a few people decide how much to subsidise animal farming and fishing, and how much to invest in a fair transition to sustainable plant-based agricultural practises. These choices have dire consequences for all of us. Yet we are not happy with their slow reactions in the face of the climate crisis and the injustice to animals killed for food. We will not let them have the fate of billions of animals, humans included, in their hands. We will not let them waste public money to try to prevent an obsolete system of animal agriculture and overfishing from falling into pieces. We want to build a better system.

When scientists warned us about the causes of global heating and found that other animals can feel and build strong relationships, we voiced our concerns about animal agriculture and fishing. We walked the streets, we wrote to our MPs. When scientists found that a plant-based food system is a viable solution to the climate and environmental emergency, we gave talks. We shared leaflets and our favorite plant-based recipes. We even sometimes spoke with politicians.

These steps/activities are great but we need more to achieve a fair food transition. The current political and food systems are not just nor sustainable. We cannot wait until every person decides to go plant-based because this avoids thinking about the privilege, the food deserts and the barriers to change that we face (how about schools, offices…). Yet, every week that passes with animals behind bars and sent to death instead of freedom is unnecessary when a system that is more just for all life and our planet is out there.

Building mass movement for a just plant-based future.

Together we are powerful. We have skills and passion that are the building blocks of our movement.

Join us by giving your time to enact effective and sustainable change! We are a decentralised movement and welcome your NVDA, as long as it fits with our demands and our principles. Your background and location do not matter.

Help fuel the rebellion and support arrestees with a donation.

Further reading

This is an uprising by Mark and Paul Engler. Explains the theory to build social movements, drawing on historical examples.

TED talk The success on nonviolent civil resistance (13min) by Erica Chenoweth.

Don’t think of an elephant by George Lakoff, Howard Dean and Don Hazen.

More examples of civil disobedience that won.

The example of the freedom riders in the civil rights movement.

The post What Is Non-Violent Direct Action And How Will It Make Us Win? first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

This is the system that drives Amazon deforestation¹, contributes a staggering amount of greenhouse gas emissions², leaves 805 million of the world’s most vulnerable people hungry³, whilst simultaneously slaughtering trillions of animals needlessly each year⁴.

The oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford, has published several papers exploring and explaining the environmental benefits of transitioning to plant-based foods⁵. Besides this, dozens of British universities have declared a climate emergency, evidently these institutions are recognising the need for drastic change⁶. This gives them the responsibility to act on the emergency that they recognise.

Therefore it should come as no surprise that students from several universities including KCL, UCL, and Warwick are now pushing for change. With the demand for their university transition to serving a 100% plant-based menu throughout their cafes and restaurants by the start of the 2023/24 academic year.

Students are listening to the science that, very often, their own universities publish. They are holding their institutions accountable to their sustainability promises and commitments. By transitioning to just and sustainable plant-based food systems, universities will be securing a future, not only for their students, but for the rest of humanity, animals, and the planet.

Universities are already showing the transition is possible! KCL now has a fully plant-based Cafe whilst UCL’s daily hot food is at least 25% plant-based too⁷. The time has now come  to expand this to include the entirety of university’s menus. The answer is staring these powerful institutions in the face! By transitioning to 100% plant-based catering, universities will be helping break down an archaic and damaging food system and simultaneously be investing in one that is just and sustainable.

Plant-based universities are an unavoidable step on the road to human, animal, and climate justice. This is a fact that is evident to the ever-growing group of students pushing for the transition. Animal Rebellion is only too happy to empower and support groups of students on this mission.

If you’re a student and are excited or driven to make this change at your university, please contact us using the details, or fill out this form now!

1. De Sy. V, et al,”Land use patterns and related carbon losses following deforestation in South America,” Environmental Research Letters, vol. 10, no. 12 (2015.)
2. Jia. G, Shevliakova. E et al, “Chapter 2: Land-Climate Interactions” in UN Special Report: Climate Change and Land (2019.) https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/
3.  Cassidy. E.S, Foley. J. A, Gerber. J.S and West. P.C, “Redefining agricultural yields: from tonnes to people nourished per hectare,” Environmental Research Letters, vol. 8, no. 3 (2013.)
4. Zampa. M, “How Many Animals Are Killed For Food Every Day” (2018,) https://sentientmedia.org/how-many-animals-are-killed-for-food-every-day/
5.  Clark. M.A, Hill. J, Springmann. M, Tilman. D, “Multiple health and environmental impacts of foods,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 116, no. 46 (2019.)
6.  Latter.  Briony, “Climate Emergency Declarations: What Do They Tell Us About Universities’ Response To Climate Change?,” https://pcancities.org.uk/climate-emergency-declarations-what-do-they-tell-us-about-universities-response-climate-change
7.  https://www.peta.org.uk/living/vegan-universities-uk/

The post Introducing Plant-Based Universities first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Press Release: Animal Rebellion

Date: 28/08/21

ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS UNITE FOR MARCH THROUGH CENTRAL LONDON THIS SATURDAY AMIDST ‘AUGUST REBELLION’ 

• The march will depart from Smithfield Market and will have a circular route making symbolic stops at Unilever, Cargill and the Marine Stewardship Council
• Animal Rights marches in previous years have mobilised thousands of people 
• This demonstration was organised by the group Animal Rebellion who will be joined by many other animal rights groups and activists

Animal Rights Activists will today come together for the National Animal Rights March, in London.The demonstration – which takes place during the ‘August Rebellion’ – brings together animal rights groups and activists across the UK to unite for animal justice and call for urgent action from corporations and the government to completely terminate human use and abuse of animals. 

The march is expected to be joined by thousands of people with a message of animal liberation, unity and hope for the future. 

“Animal Rights Marches have historically served as a space to celebrate and remember the trillions of animals killed and exploited by humans in the name of progress, tradition or entertainment, and we expect today to be no different,” said Claudia Penna Rojas, one of the speakers at the march. “By coming together we can vision the world we want to see, provide space for grief and despair as well as a catalyst to commit to further action and change.”

Speeches will be delivered by respected figures from the animal liberation movements and experts in various fields relevant to animal rights.  These include: Mel Broughton, founder of SPEAK campaign against vivisection; Dr Alice Brough, renowned pig veterinarian and activist; Tim Bailey, environmental scientist and one of the UK’s most prominent farm regulatory pollution experts, and Dr Laila Kassam, ​​co-founder of Animal Think Tank, a grassroots organisation building a social movement for Animal Freedom in the UK.

Stops along the circular route will include Smithfield Market, Unilever, Cargill and the Marine Stewardship Council, which are corporations and institutions historically related to animal exploitation and abuse. The reasons behind why these locations were chosen are explained here:

• Smithfield Market has been previously occupied by Animal Rebellion in October 2019, making the choice of location symbolic for the group
• Why we are we marching to Unilever

• Why we are marching to Cargill
• Why we don’t believe in the Marine Stewardship Council’s ‘mission’,  ‘sustainable fishing’

Harley McDonald-Eckersall, a spokesperson from Animal Rebellion, the organisers of this year’s march, said: “Humans kill over 70 billion land mammals every single year. We drain the oceans of trillions of fish, all in the name of profit and a meal for us to consume. After decades of deception and lies from massive corporations, there is almost no facet of our life that does not profit from the exploitation of animals in some way. We must come together and unite for animal justice to say no more to testing, no more to the fur trade and no more to slaughter. We need to imagine and create a world based on freedom and justice for all animals.” 

Animal Rebellion have previously gained attention for their actions and campaigns drawing attention to the environmental impacts of animal agriculture, but say that, for this day, they are focusing on the need to unite for animal justice.

The March starts at 12:30 at Smithfield Meat Market, which will also serve as the end point of the march. 

The National Animal Rights Facebook event can be found here: https://fb.me/e/Ql759ESC

The post Animal Rights Groups Unite For March Through Central London Amidst “August Rebellion” first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Despite said intentions, 46 years have gone by since the G7 coalition was formed, human economic activities led by G7 countries have degraded the Earth`s ecosystems pushing through some of the Planetary  boundaries and set off the Climate and Ecological Emergency. 

            The truth which G7 leaders avoid is that they are failing to fulfill their assigned role to protect lives and planetary health for generations to come. This includes the G7 Food Security Working Group’s failure to secure resilient agricultural systems, food security and balanced nutrition for all. The criminal enabling role which G7 played in the Climate and Ecological breakdown cannot be ignored. G7 countries got rich by upholding an inequitable, anthropocentric, global economic and political agenda. The G7 leaders self-serving short-term leadership structure has failed each and every one of us. 

            While G7 countries themselves are facing emergency, for hundreds of millions of people , for millions of species in the wild, for animals in factory farms, and for humans most exploited in the Global South‘s frontlines of resistance, pain, suffering and the social and ecological crisis is not a forecast but a lived reality.

It is time for G7 to represent leadership as a service for all, not ruling for the benefit of the few.

Earth is home for all of us. 2021 is a critical year for climate action and all eyes are on the United Kingdom as the country hosts two summits that have the potential to change the course of history: the G7 conference in June and the COP26 in November.

This year more than ever, we have already seen movements unite in the spirit of true democracy, aiming to work together and in solidarity for a just transition, recovery and reparations, demanding immediate social and economic changes to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

            We can reach our “North Star”, the vision of planetary health and human wellbeing, by ending  “Business as Usual” through immediate prioritisation of a major financial rescue effort for front line communities in climate vulnerable countries and for all non-human animals whose needs have been completely overlooked. This includes prioritising the broken global food system on the G7 agenda, to avert further food shortage, halt mass extinction, biodiversity loss, deforestation and prevent future pandemics. Science tells us that a rapid transition to a plant-based food system is not only possible but absolutely necessary. We urge G7 leaders to urgently divest from animal farming and fishing and lay out a path of solidary and equity for the whole of the food industry.  We call on the G7 to invest in ecosystem restoration and recognise the land rights of indigenous peoples.

Animal Rebellion is a global grassroot movement, demanding truth from governments and world leaders and corporations in power. G7 representatives hold a moral duty towards the whole of Earth’s current and future generations. 

            We stand beside in Extinction Rebellion`s and support their demands, as we, Animal Rebellion, extend those demands as:

TELL THE TRUTH

• G7 to tell the truth by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.

G7 telling the truth about the climate and ecological emergency (CEE), this must include telling the truth about a plant-based food system. Animal Rebellion recognizes that one cannot speak about the CEE without openly talking about the impacts of animal agriculture on the planet. This includes, but is not limited to, deforestation, ocean dead-zones, biodiversity loss and air pollution.

ACT NOW

• G7 must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.

We are heading towards a climate catastrophe and will be facing social collapse, mass starvation and the death of billions of beings if the G7 governments do not act now and act decisively. We focus on what is necessary and that is ending biodiversity loss and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero by 2025. We recognise this cannot be done without a transition to a just and sustainable plant-based food system and restoring degraded ecosystems.

BEYOND POLITICS

• We join the demand for citizens assemblies where power is given back to the people, where reparations, decentralisation and healing can begin.

Animal Rebellion is joining the resistance against a system of power holding, for a system of service and solidarity.  We continue being a part of a movement of movements, and create a roadmap to a healthy, sustainable and just food system for all. Together, we can re-imagine humanity at its best and walk into that shared future. 

Animal Rebellion will be coming to Cornwall this year June 8-14 to set out these demands at the G7 conference. Will you be there or will you support us from home?

Follow Animal Rebellion`s facebook page for updates or subscribe to the newsletter to learn how you can be a part of it.

The post Animal Rebellion is challenging G7 power holders first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Have you heard of The Butterfly Effect? No, not the Ashton Kutcher movie but the theory itself. It goes back to 1800, in The Vocation of Man, Johann Gottlieb Fichte says “you could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby … changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole”. The same can be said for our ecosystem- push one section of our natural world too far and the effects can be untold.

This Hallo-week, climate justice movements: Animal Rebellion and Extinction Rebellion, are demonstrating to the British and Scottish governments the need to impose legislation that will protect and uphold our homes, habitats and country. This will happen by marking the end of archaic sports which involve the hunting and killing of our wildlife along with the vast swathes of natural land that are burnt and destroyed in order to prime acres for the game.

The annual depletion of up to 260,000 wild animals that are native to Scotland alone are wreaking havoc on local animal societies and food chains. Coupled with the CO2 gas released from the burning of our peat soils, which annually emits more greenhouse gasses than all of the oil refineries in the UK, has created an ecological disaster in the name of an ancient and often inaccessible sport.

Through a series of safe, peaceful and family-friendly actions in both Scotland and on the footsteps of Buckingham Palace, the climate justice movements are informing the public of the action that needs to be taken in order to protect our homes and planet. In the spirit of Halloween, we may not be able to go trick-or-treating but we can remember the animals that have lost their lives by dressing up, creating art work and speaking out against the sports that are engaged within their homes and our beautiful countryside that is being laid to waste.

This Halloween simultaneous demonstrations are taking place outside of Holyrood in Edinburgh, Scotland and a march from Trafalgar Square right up to Buckingham Palace in London dubbed ‘The Hunted Haunting of Buckingham Palace’. Everyone is invited to take part in both actions, and implored to be creative with it! There will be speakers, art, banners, posters, pavement chalk art, face paintings and costumes, lots of costumes.

If you want to join other activists and interested parties for the demonstrations here’s how you can prepare and help out.

For the demonstrations numbers are the most important factor, everybody is welcome and is encouraged to bring friends, family and anyone else you can. Come in your own costumes, preferably animal themed. You can be as elaborate and creative or as simplistic as you want; a white sheet over your head to represent the ghosts of animal lives lost is a popular choice; just make sure it represents the loss and destruction of animals and their homes, particularly those native to Scotland. Bring out your artistic spirit, make banners, paintings, posters, cutouts and bring soft toys; anything you can think of that helps get the message across to protect our natural countryside and wildlife. Show the extent that has been lost and make the government know the demands they are facing.

Alongside people, equipment is also required to ensure the rebellions’ presence is felt. Anything from torches, high- vis vests, placards and flags to ensure that you are seen and safe to sound systems and megaphones to ensure that you are heard.

Above all it has to be said that among these strange and unfortunate times please make sure that you bring face masks for yourself and everyone you’re coming with. Along with remaining socially distant from those who are outside of your household or support bubble. Your voice needs to be heard whilst you are keeping yourself and those around you safe at the same time.

That being said, if you or anyone you have been in contact with lately has any symptoms of COVID-19 then please stay at home, you can still make your voice heard by sharing your thoughts and the demonstrations on social media however for the safety of yourself and everyone around you it is essential that the demonstrations are COVID secure.

It’s no secret that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure the protection of our planet and its inhabitants, however, one step at a time real difference can be made. Through demonstrations such as these and the many others around the world. From climate justice movements to individuals making every day choices, however you choose to participate, your voice can be heard and will not be forgotten. The right and necessary changes will come and our planet and all of us who call it home will benefit from it.

Demonstration Information:

The Hunted Haunting of Buckingham Palace.

Time/Date: Meeting at 5:30pm, Saturday 31st October 2020

Place: Meeting at DEFRA and marching to Buckingham Palace.

Holyrood Demonstration

Time/Date: TBA, Saturday 31st October 2020

Place: Holyrood, Edinburgh

The post Animal Rebellion Prepares for a Terrifying Halloween — Climate Justice Movement Demonstrates Against Grouse Shooting first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

When you see a scientist arrested after telling the truth about the cause of climate destruction and global pandemics, there is a feeling of dread over what our political landscape has become. That is, at least, the feeling I had when witnessing ecologist Emma Smart being arrested in London, whilst she was speaking about the science of animal farming.

Climate sceptic lobbies

Governments across the world have a chokehold on the funding and publishing of scientific research. As long as it serves the status quo, they get to decide who the ‘experts’ are. For them, there is no driving concern to tell the truth based on rigorous scientific study when that science challenges the very essence of what a government has sole interest in — their pockets.

When it comes to the financial incentives of science-spinning in the UK, there is no greater lobby than that of climate denial. So when green policies are proposed, such as the cutback of long-haul flights and the divestment of fossil fuels, there is resistance from the government to seemingly protect their friends in the big oil companies, who are amongst the highest polluters worldwide. There is perhaps no clearer example of the lobby against climate mitigation policies than that of the Global Warming Policy Foundation. Andrew Montford, a member of this climate change denialist think tank, has previously said:

“Policies to ‘stop climate change’ are based on climate models that completely failed to predict the lack of warming for the past two decades. Observational data show clearly that the predictions of unacceptable warming caused by more carbon dioxide are wrong. Economic discount rates aside, policies designed to save the planet from more carbon dioxide are based on failed computer models.”

So what does this have to do with animal farming?

Firstly, let’s be clear that the UK Government also has its pockets neatly embedded within animal agricultural industries. They currently fund development banks, which are pumping up to £2.1billion into the meat and dairy industries. Furthermore, the UK Government hands out disproportionate tax subsidies to farmers, based on their type of farming practice; subsidies for animal farmers account for up to 90% of their profits, whilst these government payments only account for 10% of profits for plant-based farmers. So even when scientific research reveals that animal farming is a major driver of climate destruction, the government would prefer to bury that truth.

In recent years, there has been compelling evidence collated that shows just how destructive animal farming is for our planet. Whilst animal agriculture accounts for 80% of Amazon deforestation, subsequently wiping out the earth’s most vital carbon sink, animal farming industries are also responsible at least 21% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Most significantly, in 2018 a study was carried out at the University of Oxford into the environmental impacts of food production, a research project that turned out to be the most comprehensive of its kind. This study found that animal farming and fishing takes up 83% of global farmlands. It also concluded that a plant-based food system could reduce farmland usage by 76% and greenhouse gas emissions by 49% from current global levels.

But that only touches on the climate impacts of animal agriculture, what about the health impacts? Well, as we all know, 2020 has seen devastation across the whole of human society due to the Covid-19 virus. This is a virus that just so happens to be zoonotic, meaning that it was passed from animals to humans.

But Covid-19 is not an anomaly; recent scientific studies have estimated that 75% of new and emerging infectious diseases come from animals. So Whilst scientists believe Covid-19 originated from an animal ‘wet market’ in China, many more zoonotic and infectious diseases, such as bird flu and swine flu, have arisen from livestock worldwide.

But why was an ecologist arrested?

On 3 September 2020, the climate and animal justice group, Animal Rebellion, staged a protest in Central London to highlight the links between animal agriculture and the health and climate emergencies. The protest involved an animal slaughter truck, which blockaded the road outside the Department of Health and Social Care. The truck, painted pink, had a message on either side that read: “Animal Farming = Pandemics & Climate Crisis”. The group were calling on the government to lead a transition to a just and sustainable plant-based food system, in order to reduce the risk of future pandemics and avert the worst impacts of climate breakdown, such as extreme weather events, droughts and floods.

During this demonstration, ecologist Emma Smart stood on the side of the road and began speaking about the climate and health impacts of animal agriculture, a subject in which she has developed extensive knowledge throughout her career. Her speech, which was recorded, drew links between animal farming being detrimental for human life by increasing the likelihood of deadly pandemics, such as COVID-19, as well as climate breakdown.

“This pandemic has shown us that the health of wildlife is the health of humans too; the two cannot be separated,” she said. “We are all part of the earth’s living system.”

She continued, “Humans’ desire for meat has seen enormous swathes of the globe deforested to graze animals or grow crops just to feed them, all the while reducing wildlife’s refuge and bring humans into closer proximity to the pathogens that ignite these pandemics. So how have we found ourselves in the midst of a pandemic?”

At this point of question, the Met Police approached Dr Smart and, without much exchange of words, unplugged the sound system and began carting it away. But not only did they silence her, they grabbed her by either arm and began walking her away. Before long, the police took Dr Smart to a van and arrested her.

But she was not the only one to be unjustly detained that day — over 300 individuals had been arrested over the course of the day, more than 200 of which were held on Lambeth Bridge against their will, without any choice of leaving. What we see here is no more than the unlawful abuse of police powers, working only to minimise disruption to the government they serve.

But these heavy-handed tactics against one’s legal right to peaceful protest has much more concerning implications for the role of science within our political and social landscape. It shows the extent to which the UK Government will go to silence great bodies of scientific research, in defence of their friends in giant agriculture companies.

If we are to solve the climate and health emergencies, that means leading by what the climate and health experts have to say. That is, that we must bring and end to animal farming and transition towards a just and sustainable plant-based food system. The UK Government must acknowledge that truth and act upon it.

We cannot let the suppression of science become the death of democracy.

The post We Cannot Let The Suppression of Science Become The Death of Democracy first appeared on Animal Rebellion.

Pre-word

Animal Rebellion promotes civil disobedience as a catalyst for political and system change. We recognise the value of different campaign methods, such as lobbying MPs and signing petitions. However, there are other groups that already focus on these areas and they do it well. Our focus is on attention raising actions with higher consequences, such as risking arrest, and causing mass civil disobedience in full view of the public. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, as our motives are directed towards the system, not the individual.

Non-violent Direct Action

Nobody wants to be arrested. Sitting in a police station for hours on end, with your liberty at risk, a criminal record that could affect your career prospects for the rest of your life, and not to mention the legal fees. This is a serious and unpleasant situation that mustn’t be taken lightly.

Movements like Animal Rebellion use a strategy called Non-Violent Direct Action (NVDA). A feature of this involves ‘arrestables’: people who undertake action with the knowledge that it will probably result in arrest.

While the 2019 Rebellion officially ended on 19th October, many people had to wait much longer for their court cases to be determined before it was over for them. These are dedicated individuals who put their liberty on the line in protest of the climate and animal emergency. Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion and Animal Rebellion activists were arrested during the two-week protest in October.

The demonstration of arrestables shows the Government the severity of our situation and that our planet is worth making sacrifices for. Time is ticking. We are acting before it is too late.

This article tells the story of one rebel’s experience of getting arrested in the centre of the October action.

Early 2020 saw six activists arrested for NVDA when Animal Rebellion held Arla, a monolith dairy producer, to account for their impact on the environment: The meat and dairy industry is one of the leading causes of climate change. Protesting at Arla’s headquarters in London, Animal Rebellion urged this representative of the dairy industry to transition away from animal products and towards a sustainable plant-based alternative. Watch this short video to see how our rebels prepared for their arrestable action at Arla.

Just last month, two protesters were arrested when they turned the Trafalgar Square water fountains red for our Blood on Your Hands campaign. We brought international attention to the role governments are playing in exacerbating the climate emergency. Protests were held simultaneously around the world, including in the UK, Germany, Canada, Portugal, Australia, Finland, South Africa, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Mexico, USA, and Romania.

Not all members of members risk arrest and there are vital roles to fill in all areas of the organisation. Parents and children help make signs and banners and support Animal Rebellion at protests and marches. People from the ages of 8 to 80 volunteer behind the scenes and on the frontlines. It takes all types of people to keep a movement moving.

Does Non-Violent Direct Action work?

Vast amounts of research have been carried out to study the methods used by campaigners around the world. Gene Sharpe’s This is an Uprising draws on the examples of Martin Luther King Jr and Gandhi to demonstrate how non-violent direct action (NVDA) is the most effective way to achieve change. NVDA uses creative and active ways to cause disruption, stealing the attention of the public and media to spread the message. Sharpe’s list of non-violent direct actions includes boycotts, road blocks, protests with banners and placards, singing and chanting, as well as hunger strikes and more high risk arrestable actions.

Non-violence in this form is not passive. It is a strategy for momentum-driven mass mobilisation and confrontation. It means the voices of the masses cannot be avoided by the media or silenced behind prison walls. This is an Uprising touches on examples of anti-war movements in the 1960s, women’s rights in the 1970s, and AIDS campaigns in the 1980s. What do they have in common? They all used NVDA and they all achieved historic change.

Mainstream media often portrays such actions as spontaneous acts of recklessness. Usually, putting the focus on young misguided adults. On the contrary, an arrestable action is meticulously planned for maximum effect. It is creative, brave, and powerful.

What now?

Power belongs to the masses, and if we unite for a shared cause, in the name of animals, people and planet, we will change the trajectory to a just and sustainable future for all. The Government must lead the transition for positive system change.

People have the potential to resist and be agents for change. People have the power!

The post How to Win the Battle Against the Animal and Climate Crisis first appeared on Animal Rebellion.