Black Friday shoppers have been targeted by the Extinction Rebellion mobs, who block roads that lead to Amazon fulfilment centers in more than 12 countries.
Photos showed activists sitting on large bamboo towers just outside warehouses. This prevented vans from getting into the buildings.
Protesters displayed a sign in Dartford, one of the 13 targeted sites. It stated that Black Friday “exploits people and planet”, while Peterborough’s slogan read: “Infinite Growth Harms Planet”.
Manchester’s XR group has piled items on Sunbank Lane, near Manchester Airport to stop traffic. Some other sites have been blocked are those of Dunfermline and Darlington as well as Peterborough, Newcastle and Darlington.
Since 4AM, one distribution center in Bristol is also closed.
PETERBOROUGH – Extinction Rebellion activists blockade a street that leads to an Amazon fulfillment centre in Peterborough, with banners and bamboo structures
MANCHESTER: In Manchester, XR have strewn items along Sunbank Lane near Manchester Airport in order to stop traffic
Essex Police stated that they are dealing with an XR demonstration in Tilbury.
The force tweeted: “We’re dealing with a protest outside an Amazon warehouse in Windrush Road, Tilbury and engaging with people at the scene to ensure it remains safe.
We expect disruptions to extend into morning rush hour and ask motorists to be aware of possible delays.
XR South East UK tweeted “Extinction Rebellion blocks #AMAZON fulfilment centers across the UK & Europe on #BlackFriday, holding them accountable for any damage they cause to #PeopleAndPlanet.” #InfiniteGrowthFinitePlanet.”
However, angry users of social media reacted with anger. One tweet read: “Agree with conserving the climate…but the public must support the government in order to make them care.”
“Blocking roads is annoying to people and can cause you to lose the trust of the public, especially the ones who work for your taxes.
PETERBOROUGH XR activists placed a banner along the street that read ‘infinite Growth Finite Planet’. Because bamboo structures take too much time to demolish, protesters choose them.
PETERBOROUGH, Each structure of bamboo (including the one in Peterborough), was occupied by someone. These structures are made to be difficult to remove.
MANCHESTER – A man sits on the top of a wood box before an Amazon Fulfillment Centre at Manchester Airport.
MANCHESTER. Activists held up banners that read “Infinite growth, finite planet” — a phrase used often by Greta Thnberg.
Amazon published an announcement committing to achieve net-zero carbon within the company by 2040. This is 10 years earlier than the Paris Agreement.
Earlier in the month, XR promised to mobilize 2 million people to protest against what it calls the “largest act of civil resistance in UK History” in April 2019.
Today, after criticizing the climate summit this month, an environmental group pledged the support.
According to the group, the numbers of protestors participating in demonstrations has declined during the pandemic. However, they hope to have record numbers by 2022.
Nuala Gathercole Lam from XR calls for action, drawing on the images of Martin Luther King, Ghandi, and Suffragettes.
‘This is what’s needed now. Let’s do what works – prolonged, disruptive, non-violent civil resistance.’
XR promises to do ‘the largest act for climate resistance’ by April 2019. Pictured: Diana Warner, a protester glues her hand onto a train while demonstrators block traffic at Canary Wharf Station. April 25, 2019,
XR cites research from Harvard University that shows movements which have attained a minimum of 3.5 percent of the population are able to ‘never fail to effect significant social and/or political change.
This group claims that 3.5% of UK citizens is equivalent to 2.33 million people. They have set themselves the objective of recruiting them for their campaign in 2022.
XR is certain that if they achieve this target, their April protests will be ‘the greatest act of civil resistive action in UK history. It appealed for the public to support its cause.
Nuala Gathercole Lam was the spokesperson of the group. She said that while our 2019 mass participation campaigns were a major step in advancing the recognition of climate and ecological crises, XR’s actions still haven’t resulted in the necessary government action to lower emissions and restore biological diversity.
“That’s why, in 2022, we’ll work to expand our ranks and create designs for civil resistance campaigns. The first will take place in April 2022.
“Our mobilization program will continue building numbers throughout the year with an aim to achieve XR’s 3 demands.
‘The failure of COP26, and indeed the COP process generally, is devastating but not surprising – it is clearer than ever now that it’s up to all of us.’
Extinction Rebellion began organizing disruptive protests in London on Monday, April 15, 2019. These demonstrations targeted areas like Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge.
Not only did it disrupt commuters, but activists also created severe delays in the transportation network by sticking themselves to the trains.
Extinction Rebellion demonstrators spray fake blood all over Treasury during their October campaign