Should Protest Be Disruptive?

by Isobel Fisher

In recent years, numerous incidents of environmental protest have made the news. Greta Thunberg started the ball rolling in 2018 with her school strike for climate change, followed by others such as Extinction Rebellion, JustStopOil, and Greenpeace. However, these actions haven't always been warmly received. Many have criticised these groups for a variety of reasons.

In 2019 members of Extinction Rebellion brought the centre of London to a standstill with their protests calling for the government to take ‘urgent action to tackle climate change’. According to the BBC, the group’s aims are for the government to start telling ‘the truth about climate change’; to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025; and to create a citizens’ assembly to oversee progress. Although supporters believe that mass participation and civil disobedience are the only options available to kickstart social change, many others aren’t so sympathetic. Many critics have said that their protests have wasted police time and caused unnecessary disruption, not to mention the negative press the group received after there were instances of their protests blocking ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

In early August of this year, Greenpeace covered Rishi Sunak’s North Yorkshire residence in 200 metres of black fabric. This was to oppose the government handing out roughly 100 new oil and gas licences for drilling in the North Sea, including the highly controversial Rosebank site. Although the group did trespass, they maintain that they avoided causing damage and carefully planned to ensure that the stunt was pulled when the Sunaks were on holiday in California. However, this is still not good enough for many critics. Rishi Sunak has two daughters, and there are concerns that this may cause them to feel unsafe in their home. Many have also expressed dissatisfaction with Greenpeace’s choice of location. Whilst they see 10 Downing Street or Chequers as political locations, and therefore fair game for protests, the family home (reportedly owned by Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty) does not fall into this category.

Critics also state that it is unfair to those whose performances have been interrupted. On 4th October JustStopOil protested during the West End performance of Les Miserables, invading the stage during the famous protest song Do You Hear the People Sing? According to Catherine Francoise (a member of the audience), the audience’s boos were louder than the protestors’ chants. Although this is an example of a negative reaction to environmental activists, in some cases they have been welcomed. Coco Gauff’s US Open match was interrupted with chants calling for an end to fossil fuels, followed by protestors glueing their feet to the floor. Instead of being irritated by this unfortunate incident, the tennis player believes she ‘can’t really get upset at it’, as ‘it was done in a peaceful way’. This unusual response has been taken even further by a conductor during a protest at a concert at the Lucerne music festival in Switzerland. Upon hearing the audience’s angry shouts Vladimir Jurowski turned to the audience, telling them, ‘Let them speak’. He then paused the performance until the activists had finished. This is a rare example of activists being encouraged to continue.

These protests have drawn negative attention to their cause, but is there any such thing as negative press? With critics condemning them left, right and centre, these activists maintain that any publicity is good publicity. They steadfastly say that the ordinary democratic methods haven’t worked, and the need for urgent action has meant they have resorted to these more drastic measures. Many protesters are willing to be arrested, or even wish for it to happen, believing that if enough of them get arrested, they will irritate the authorities and bring the climate crisis further to their attention. But is this the right way to go about this? If this was truly such a pressing issue, surely the electorate’s opinions would be highlighted in the outcome of elections? Is this actually helping the cause, or ostracising potential supporters?

My view is that, so long as no one is injured, I believe that these protests are a valid and potentially powerful way to enact change. The government is not taking the climate crisis seriously enough, and I feel that there is an urgent need for change. Throughout history, for example the Chartists, the Anti-Corn Law League and the women’s suffrage movement, protests and demonstrations all brought about change. I hope that these do too (despite any disruption they may cause).

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https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/heres-why-greenpeace-activists-are-covering-rishi-sunaks-house-in-black-fabric/

Who what when where why

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-66403105.amp

Coco gauff

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/66748063

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/01/down-to-earth-just-stop-oil-protest

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-63543307

Orchestra man

https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/climate-activists-disrupt-concert-in-lucerne/48798568

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cx7XG7FCOsm/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Thursday 3rd August.