Rebecca Harris Sullivan’s Post

WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO BE HEARD? Protest has always been a tough game. Asking people to think differently, act differently is almost always an unwelcome message, at least at first. Any disruption is met with calls to settle down, be polite, don't UPSET people. But if you think about the protests that made a difference, they were pretty disruptive. It took shutting down busses and lunch counters to get people's attention about civil rights. Closing down the Pentagon and burning flags sure got everyone's attention about the war. A polite protest is a good way to be ignored, but interrupt traffic or paint a famous landmark and everyone is talking, even if a lot of it is about how annoying you are. Is there a better way? https://lnkd.in/gMgNZvTW

The right to protest is fundamental to a democratic society. The results of the study mentioned in The Guardian article below are troubling - rich western countries are using punitive and harsh measures to crack down on climate protests. We should protect our right to protest. https://lnkd.in/d49kzERp.

Climate protests, such as those by Extinction Rebellion, highlight the growing urgency and widespread concern over climate change across all age groups. While these protests aim to draw attention to the climate crisis, they often lead to public inconvenience and legal consequences. At Magenta Security we underscore the importance of understanding the motivations behind such actions, which stem from a perceived failure of governments and industries to address the apocalyptic threat of climate change. We advocate for governmental action to mitigate climate risks rather than increased policing of protests, warning that without substantial climate action, disruptive protests are likely to continue. #ClimateChange #ProtestMovements #Security #Sustainability #GovernmentAction

CRI published a new 70-page report today about crackdowns on peaceful climate protests by Western democracies. Concerned citizens are using the right to peaceful protest – including civil disobedience, the centerpiece of the suffragette, anti-colonial, civil rights, and anti-apartheid movements – as a way to raise awareness and press for action. Yet “On Thin Ice: Disproportionate Responses to Climate Change Protesters in Democratic Countries,” and an accompanying video, show how the UK, Germany, US, Netherlands, Australia, and others are using the kind of harsh, overly broad, and vague criminal laws that they condemn when used by autocrats. Particularly with the rise of the far right in many countries, one doesn’t have to agree with the tactics of climate activists to understand the importance of defending their rights to protest and to free speech. Instead of jailing climate protesters and undermining civil liberties, governments should heed their call to take urgent action to address the climate crisis. Check out the long Guardian article about the report here. You can click on our report in the first paragraph. https://lnkd.in/geUz2b2M

Continuing our discussion about protests, it's also worth considering the question - when do protests tend to occur? The number of factors driving protest timing is legion, but here are some recurring themes that I've noticed over the years: 1.) Protests are generally held in temperate weather, with organizers avoiding extremely cold or extremely hot weather in order to boost attendance. As such, protests in the northern hemisphere are more frequent in the spring, summer, and early autumn months, although particularly hardy protesters in countries like Ukraine can prove an exception to this: https://lnkd.in/dG4zytGZ. 2.) Protest organizers also generally avoid organizing protests when severe precipitation is expected, in order to ensure attendance 3.) Protests are also frequently scheduled on weekends to boost attendance - in the Islamic world, protests can take place after jummah prayers on Fridays as well (https://lnkd.in/dMRB9Ydd) 4.) Protests generally occur during daylight hours, while riots intensify during the evening or at night (though rioting can occur during daylight hours as well) A number of issue-specific triggers are also likely to determine protest dates and timing: 5.) Controversial police officer-involved shootings and controversial court cases can spark protests around the following events: video footage release, indictment, arraignment, verdict, and sentencing 6.) Major environmental disasters can spark waves of protests. Examples include the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (https://lnkd.in/drtmDiFf) and the 2019 Amazon rainforest fires (https://lnkd.in/duAibvEx).  6.) Political inaugurations, announcements of contested election results, or passage of highly controversial legislation 7.) Symbolic dates of particular importance, such as Earth Day for environmental protests, May Day for labor and leftist protests, or Nakba Day for pro-Palestinian protests (https://lnkd.in/dQj22YwB) We'll discuss further aspects of protests next week, but in the meantime, I'm curious: what other factors have you observed that influence protest timing? I'd love to hear your perspectives!!

“Instead of jailing climate protesters and undermining civil liberties, governments should heed their call to take urgent action to address the climate crisis.” This #ClimateRightsInternational report highlights examples of developed countries reinforcing the right to protest in global majority countries whilst cracking down on similar protests in their own countries.#doublestandards #climatecrisis

Do climate change protests help? I wrote about this important subject for Salon.com. https://lnkd.in/exCkjnpU

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists In the UK, a dangerous escalation in the criminalization of climate protests July 23, 2024 The criminalization of climate protesters is a severe threat both to the climate and to democratic system Last week, record prison sentences were handed down to five British climate activists for organizing a multi-day protest on the M25, the motorway that goes around London. Four of them received sentences of four years each. The fifth, Roger Hallam, got a five-year sentence. These sentences are an alarming escalation in the criminalization of climate protests, in the UK and beyond. The sentences are a direct consequence of a range of anti-protest legislation passed by the previous Conservative government that has been heavily criticized by human rights groups, the United Nations, and climate scientists. Some of these new laws are still being contested in UK courts by the human rights nongovernmental organization Liberty. The new laws have focused on policing, sentencing, and the ability of juries to find defendants not guilty.

How effective are climate protests? Is disruption a good strategy? What do public surveys inform us about acceptability, attitudes on the criminalization of protest, increase in public awareness? The short answer to these questions from this study is that we don't know as much as we need to know in order to gain traction and win the public over. Well, except there is broad agreement in the UK and Germany, at least, that non-violent climate protesters should not be targeted by law enforcement. 

Several news sites report on the fact that #NON #VIOLENT protestors have received 4 and 5 year JAIL sentences. IN THE UK. This is not Russia, this is not Afghanistan, this is the UK. And this, via an infiltrated Zoom call? As in, what about privacy laws? Reuters says "The prosecution comes amid a wider crackdown on protest movements in Britain and across Europe.' #protest and #demonstration is a #right in Europe! it is a way to show #support, or get #attention for topics that people feel are not getting the podium they need by our political parties. And just maybe we should not say "fanatic', but #desperate? We have seen over the last years several demonstrations, from other parties (farmers) that have, by no means, received as much backlash as the protestors against #climatechange, with probably as much damages and costs. Maybe something to think about? And I am interested to see if my post will be taken offline, as I see curiously enough, NO posts on LinkedIn about this topic. https://lnkd.in/e5cnFtkP https://lnkd.in/eQTPRqpp