From local to global, the movement for climate justice has never felt more alive. This Saturday was Protect our Futures day, where activists around the world stood together. This was an international show of solidarity with the self-named ‘wretched of the earth’ – the people who are being forced out of their homes by devastating floods and droughts. Here in Birmingham we were joined by a number of members of the public and councillors who pledged their support for renewable energy.
Further north, the communities on the frontline of the fight against fracking are giving it everything they’ve got. At Preston New Road last week police dragged an 85-year-old woman across the road by her shoulders. Arrests have continued as protesters criticise the policing of the actions. The other side of the Pennines in Kirby Misperton a pre-fabricated tower was erected outside the fracking site and two people locked themselves together inside. Every working day at both sites people are protesting at the site gates and there are ongoing acts of civil disobedience against the drills.
Next weekend on 28/29 October in Leeds there is a Unite Against Fracking conference and a Reclaim the Power national gathering – the perfect way to get more involved in anti-fracking activism. Over the border Scotland has introduced a permanent moratorium against the technology and there is a real sense that this is a battle we can win.
Further afield Friends of the Earth International took part in La Via Campesina’s international conference, imagining a better world and food sovereignty for all. All over the world, people are fighting back. From Colombia to Indonesia, from South Africa to Germany, we stand together; our struggle is your struggle. Being part of a global movement makes us stronger. When we take action in Birmingham it’s not just for the million Brummies that deserve to breathe clean air. It’s for the billions of people around the world who deserve a good life and who are still fighting colonial injustices. Until we win!
