Unofficial estimates suggest around 2,000 rebels took part in 3 days of creative and occasionally disruptive actions at the G7 summit in Cornwall from June 11-13th. Many arrived on foot or bike after epic multi-day treks. This roundup focusses on some of the actions we may have missed while preparing for or particpating in the main events on the 3 days in Cornwall.
PROTECT THE EARTH MARCH
Around 50 people completed a 6 day, 84 mile trek from Plymouth to Carbis Bay, accompanied by a large globe towed on the back of a trike. The scorched and drowned model of the world showed the expected impact of the climate crisis at 2 degrees including drowning coastlines and drought affected tropical land. “None of the G7 countries have taken the action they promised as part of the Paris Agreement to avoid this level of heating. It really is an impending catastrophe and the world’s leaders must wake up to the implications,” said Sylvia Dell from XR Totnes and area. “We have several young people joining us on the walk who are understandably deeply concerned about what their future holds.”
Photos: Colin Moore, Sylvia Dell, Mike Pul
DAY 1: SOUND THE ALARM FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE
On June the 11th the G7 protests began in St. Ives. The focus of the first day was a noisy, colourful march through St. Ives to Sound the Alarm for Climate Justice. A reference to the fact that climate catastrophe has already arrived in climate vulnerable communities, affecting the poorest who have done least to cause it. The creative and peaceful protest was helped by 100 samba players, a blue whale, a school of mackerel and hundreds of banners and flags.
A number of groups participated in actions around the town. XR Bristol rebels posing as G7 leaders told politicians to “Stop Rearrranging the Deckchairs”, Doctors for XR staged a spectacular die in on Harbour Beach and three young people from XR Bath were symbolically drowned in oil by characters representing the big oil Giants- Shell and BP.
Photos: Jessica Kleczka, Gareth Morris
DAY 2: G IS FOR GREENWASHING
Day 2 was dedicated to greenwashing, with actions that exposed how the G7 and their banks promise ‘green growth’ but then invest in fossil fuels and other ecocidal industries, while the media turn a blind eye.
The focus of the day was a procession through Falmouth to the G7 media centre focusing on: greenwashing, fossil fuel financing and global justice. Rebels chose a variety of ways to get their message across.
Photos: Melissa Carrington, Tristian Herbert
On the sidelines of the march, a range of creative protests took place: a G7 versus the rest of the world football match in which the referee is a banker and the games are rigged reflecting the reality of climate negotiations for developing countries; the Dirty Scrubbers told Barclays and HSBC to clean up their act and stop fossil fuel lending while the Big heads street theatre featured the G7 leaders kicking the climate crisis can down the road and propping up the fossil fuel industry with wads of cash.
Photos: Illya Fisher, Denise Laura Baker
Media complicity in greenwashing the crimes of the G7 leaders and fossil fuel corporations was a big theme of the day. Rebels carrying fake broadsheets could be seen around the town and a spoof souvenir programme “News of the G7 World” was handed out in shops and to tourists. Down load your free copy here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NJY8PmJ6SOmVBLMMxBBgxedovKDBG0km/view?usp=sharing
Photos: Melissa Carrington, Denise Laura Baker
Later on, processing through the centre of town in single file, over 100 Penitents wearing sackcloth and ashes performed a silent and highly visual ceremony bearing shame for funding the tragic destruction of our climate. Away from the main action, sailing boats bearing messages for the G7 leaders were spotted in Falmouth Harbour.
Photos: Zoe Broughton, Gareth Morris
DAY3: ALL HANDS ON DECK: STILL DROWNING IN PROMISES
On the final day of the G7 summit we returned to St. Ives for a range of creative beach actions and some disruption, while we declared G7 a flop.
Our press release said:“The G7, leaders of the world’s richest democratic nations have met and yet we’re STILL Drowning in Promises. We asked the leaders of the world to ACT NOW and they’ve made more hollow promises… How can we trust them with our futures and our children’s futures.”
A group of XR women posed as G7 leaders, embodying the saying “all mouth and no trousers” wearing giant lips and no trousers, an action that proved popular with the hoards of assembled media photographers.
Photos: Melissa Carrington, Joao Daniel Pereira
Later on the beach, the Big Heads blew giant bubbles representing 30+ years of hot air on climate and then lined up for their alternative summit photo opportunity in front of a sinking G7 logo. Activists stood topless with drowning in promises spelled out across their backs, while discobedience dancers performed and then fell to the wet sand in a mass die-in.
Photo: Melissa Carrington
Elsewhere, a group of brave activists blocked two exits out of the G7 at Carbis Bay with a van, banners and a samba band. Five people glued themselves to a road in St Ives and three others locked themselves to a minibus at a roundabout in nearby St Erth. There were 8 arrests.
Photos: XR BCP rebel, Emma Smart, Denise Laura Baker
Many thanks to all our brave and creative rebels who took part in the G7 actions both in the lead up around the UK and in South West and Cornwall itself. You are amazing!
You can see more of the amazing pictures from G7 on the UK media archive here: https://show.pics.io/xr-global-media-breaking-news-content-600ed2733c68d80019a19bc7/search?tagId=60be6c686beb0b00121f48d8
Relive each day of the rebellion by watching these G7 livestreams on XR Youtube.
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Unofficial estimates suggest around 2,000 rebels took part in 3 days of creative and occasionally disruptive actions at the G7 summit in Cornwall from June 11-13th. Many arrived on foot or bike after epic multi-day treks. This roundup focusses on some of the actions we may have missed while preparing for or particpating in the […]
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