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#just stop oil
ceevee5 · 7 months
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aceofmoxes · 11 days
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Bomb more oil refineries!
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The Van Gough soup protest wasn’t a Big Oil psyop just because Just Stop Oil is one of the several activist groups funded by the granddaughter of a oil tycoon of a now defunct company. There isn’t a conspiracy to make climate protesters look bad. It’s just a bad protest. People do this shit all the time.
A protest should be:
Attention grabbing
Clear in its demands
An inconvenience that calls upon those in power to act
While it did the first two, I fail to see how this stunt did anything to really demonstrate to those in power that they should take action. Oh no. Someone poured soup on a painting they knew they wouldn’t ruin. Aah won’t someone please legislate more regulation on fossil fuels to stop the... the... publicity stunt... I guess.
Gluing yourself to a road at peak hour causes an inconvenience that needs to be resolved by politicians who maintain those roads. Damaging oil infrastructure causes an inconvenience as it changes costs of operations and insurance liabilities for oil companies. Those two options are the kind of thing that divide public opinion on if they’re reasonable actions or not - but they at least provide a through line between the protest and those in power who need to act.
Putting soup on a painting sure gets headlines but now what? Who hasn’t heard about climate change at this point? Is this just an ad for Just Stop Oil as a group? If this was raising awareness for an underground issue then it’d be effective but this isn’t a super secretive issue - this is something we need direct and strong action on through government regulation to force companies to decarbonise.
Activists just get caught up in the fact that most of their protests and action gets little media attention so sometimes go for shock value over effective messaging or demands. That’s it. It’s not a conspiracy just because someone did a bad job at something.
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smarmy-yet-satisfying · 10 months
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Anyone else ever feel like bludgeoning oil executives and politicians to death with a rusty pipe over what they’ve doomed us all to?
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Capitalism is a death sentence for the human race
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convertgrapeling · 9 months
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It is absolutely valid for climate activists to disrupt events sponsored by oil companies, and if that includes Pride then fair enough. Personally I'm embarassed that we allow oil companies to use our events for public relations purposes like this. Pride is not some sacred event which is too important to be disrupted by protest and if you can't handle that, maybe stay home.
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feckcops · 6 months
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The public wants to save the planet – as long as it doesn’t personally inconvenience them
“Back in July, Just Stop Oil (JSO) experienced something unusual – they found they were the ones being protested. An alternative group called Just Stop Pissing People Off attempted to block Just Stop Oil from engaging in disruptive protests and interrupted their events, saying that the climate crisis is real but that JSO is distracting and alienating people. The counter-protests tell us a great deal about Britain’s contradictory attitude to the climate crisis.
“Broadly, Brits understand that the climate crisis climate change is a major problem. 65% of us are worried about the climate crisis (versus just 28% who aren’t) while the same proportion supports the government’s aim of reducing Britain’s net carbon emissions to zero by 2050 ... Eight in 10 back more tree planting, subsidies for energy-efficient homes and higher taxes for high-carbon companies. 62% would support a requirement for all energy production to come from renewable sources. But this enthusiasm has its limits.
“When asked if they would back policies that would impose limits on what they personally can do, Brits quickly turn against them. For instance, two-thirds oppose the idea of a limit on how much meat they can buy, and a majority oppose banning petrol and diesel cars ... Even though 62% of voters back the idea of requiring all energy to be renewable, just 39% want to ban new North Sea oil fields, and a mere 32% want to prohibit the sale of gas boilers ...
“The British public is not as supportive of action on the climate crisis as many environmentalists would hope. We favour general, uncontentious ideas – net zero, tree-planting, tax rises on high-carbon companies – but when asked for our opinion on a climate policy that would directly affect us personally, we baulk. This is partly due to worries about the cost of living, but it’s also about avoiding personal inconvenience.
“Just Stop Pissing Everyone Off perfectly encapsulates the British attitude to the climate crisis: sure, it’s a problem, but not ours. As Homer Simpson once asked: ‘Can’t someone else do it?’”
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metanoias-substack · 4 months
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Two Just Stop Oil protesters were arrested after smashing the glass protecting the iconic Rokeby Venus by Diego Velázquez at the National Gallery in London.
The incident comes hot on the heels of several widely publicised attacks against artworks by climate activists.
Is art vandalism for ostensibly noble political purposes justified, or is there something more sinister — and indefensible — at play?
Read more here.
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thelawsofdaylight · 5 months
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I'm sorry if this isn't approriate, but I don't really understand why you find Les Mis a good target for a climate protest? I get that the musical has themes that align with the protesters but like... what was the good outcome? Are there really People in that audience that don't know climate change is happening? How Will this change their mind? What action is meant to be brought on by trowing soup at paintings or disrupting a performance? Does that actually help the cause of combatting climate change at all? Does it help make people more aware, does it have an effect on the mechanisms of polluters? Isn't there anything more focused that these resources (both money and the incredible bravery and drive of the People themselves) could be better focused on. These protest feels so different from like, people chaining themselves to a private jet or the schoolchildren going up to parliaments by the thousand to demand policy chances to better their future. All of the JSO actions feels so performative, I just don't see how they are actually doing anything of even the mechanism by which they are meant to accomplish anything? Which doesn't mean that the people involved aren't great people or that the reaction of the Les Mis crowd wasn't fucked up. Just... what was even the goal?
Hey! I know it's been a while since I made that post supporting the JSO protestors but I've gotten a few asks like this in the time since (and am still getting them) so I'm responding to this as the most good-faith one in my inbox and hopefully it answers others that have been asked to me in the past couple weeks as well. Disclaimer: If I'm responding to things outside the remit of this ask, it's likely that it's because someone else sent an ask about it and I've been juggling them all in my head as I've been thinking on a response.
I think in order to answer the first part of the ask we have to tackle the second. 'What has this action achieved' only works as a comprehensive criticism if we look at it in isolation to all of JSO's other actions. What I mean by this is: JSO launched by blocking oil refineries for days on end. In the two years they've been active they've done similar actions, including but not limited to disrupting fuel distribution centres, petrol stations, interrupting fossil fuel conferences, and, most recently, trying to stop the relocation of asylum seekers to prison barges. Their actions go far beyond blocking roads and disruption of public events. I think this is important to establish as I don't know how much of a working knowledge anyone not in the UK Climate movement actually has about JSO and I think it's good we're all on the same page.
But if they do all that (effective, important) direct action, then why target Les Mis? What does a West End show have to do with fossil fuel companies and climate change? And in response to these questions I'll ask one of my own: were you aware of the fact that JSO tried to stop migrants from being deported until I mentioned it just now? A lot of these actions, the ones that actually target infrastructure and confront those directly responsible, get little to no media coverage. When news of the Les Mis action first broke out, I saw so many people on Twitter with the same reactionary takes: why target Les Mis when the Conservative Party Conference literally happened the same weekend? And that's a fair and valid point- if it wasn't for the fact that JSO were at the conference. I know this because I was there too. They had a huge bloc in the march and went on to do other actions in the city after the march had ended. The whole thing, the entire 10,000+ strong protest, got maybe 30 seconds coverage on the local news and not even a mention of JSO's presence (or of climate change in general for that matter.) JSO's previous actions directed at fossil fuel companied themselves get very little, if any, coverage compared to their big flashy sports/awards show/performance interruptions.
So yeah, some of JSOs actions are 'performative'. But I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that even performative actions have their place within the wider struggle. I understand not liking public disruption as a tactic and I understand the issues with it, but I also think it's worth reflecting on why groups like JSO use it.
Editing my draft here to report that earlier today they smashed the frame of a painting that was previously vandalised by the Suffragette movement in 1914. That's a performative action, sure, but you have to admit it makes a point. Just like the tageting of Les Mis, a play about an unjust society and the people striving to change it, makes a point about hypocrisy. It gets the media coverage. We can debate all day about the usefulness of that coverage and if chasing media headlines should be our goal in the first place... but at the end of the day, it's been proven that JSOs membership grows every time they do something like this. It gets more people to join, which means next time it comes round to blocking key infrastructure, they'll be in a stronger position to succeed.
This isn't to say don't criticise them at all! I actually think criticisms like this one are a key part of organising and, done with care, can only make our movements stronger. I have my own issues with JSO- namely, the carelessness with which arrest is actively encouraged/promoted as the only valid form of resistance- but that's a whole other conversation and one that doesn't undermine my support and solidarity for the activists who are doing those actions (and sacrificing a whole lot in the process.) I think mass direct action movements are rarely ever perfect but I also think we need to show solidarity first and foremost when people are trying to do the right thing, especially if how they're doing it is in conjunction with or as a response to other tactics.
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justalittlesolarpunk · 6 months
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Solarpunk Sunday Suggestion:
Go to a meeting of your local direct action group
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“It’s abundantly clear that you are all good people. You are intelligent, articulate and a pleasure to deal with. It’s unarguable that man-made global warming is real and we are facing a climate emergency. Your aims are admirable and it is accepted by me and the Crown Prosecution Service that your views are reasonable and genuinely held. Your fears are ably and genuinely articulated and are supported by the science.”
“When the United Nations Secretary General gives a speech saying that the activity of fossil fuel companies is incompatible with human survival, we should all be very aware of the need for change. Millions of people, and I do not dispute that it may be as many as 1 billion people, will be displaced as a result of climate change.”
“No-one can criticise your motivations. You all gave evidence that was deeply moving. I certainly was moved. The tragedy is that good people have felt so much, without hope, that you feel you have to come into conflict with the criminal justice system.”
“Thank you for opening my eyes to certain things. Most, I was acutely and depressingly aware of, but there were certain things.”
“I say this and I mean this sadly, I have to convict you. You are good people and I will not issue a punitive sentence. Your arrests and loss of good character are sufficient. Good people doing the wrong thing cannot make the wrong thing right. I don’t say this, ever, but it has been a pleasure dealing with you.”
“You should feel guilty for nothing. You should feel proud that you care, have concern for the future. I urge you not to break the law again. Good luck to all of you.”
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timsplosion · 6 months
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In June, we had the biggest wildfires in Nova Scotia's history. In July we had the worst floods in 30 years that killed 4 people. In August, we flip flopped between extreme heat and "rain bombs". In September we're getting hit by Hurricane Lee, only a year after the last major hurricane (the one before that was back in 2017). The North Atlantic sea surface temperature remains over 1.2C above the 1991-2020 average, and 2023 is heading towards being the first recorded year to breach the 1.5C global temperature barrier. Any Nova Scotian who is still denying climate change at this point is the dumbest asshole alive. We have been slammed by extreme weather events back-to-back-to-back. Here's hoping next year is calmer, but it's clear that this is a taste of a 1.5C warmer world, and it kinda fuckin sucks.
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The irony of the crowd at the West End performance of Les Mis booing when protestors got on stage
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The state of this country honestly. For clarity, although it's Just Stop Oil posting, this is about a gaza ceasefire protest.
All cops are bastards.
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alicemccombs · 7 months
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imitacionalarte · 1 year
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Van Gogh throwing a vase with sunflowers at one of Warhol’s Campbell Soup cans
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superbeans89 · 1 year
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How to make your movement look like a bunch of idiots.
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