Throughout the week, many members of the public declared their appreciation for what we were doing and were asking how they can help. People were bringing fruit, pastries, cups of coffee and tea. So supportive and eager to help, I felt such people were an intrinsic aspect of our protest. Many people were also signing up to join XR. I was told by a fellow protestor that across all protest sites around three thousand were joining everyday.
Witnessing first-hand the public support, passion and admiration for what we were doing highlighted the toxicity of the mainstream media and their unfounded portrayals of events like these. It reminded me of how mainstream media constructs, time and again, deeply ignorant narratives that have little to no basis in reality.Around 11.15am, Emma Thompson began giving a speech in support of XR, standing on the symbolic pink boat which stood at the centre of Oxford Circus. The boat symbolised different things. For one, it was named after Berta Cáceres, an environmental land-defender from Honduras. With the support of her indigenous community, Berta organised resistance to the production of a dam on their sacred river, which would have displaced the community from their homes. After effectively resisting the production of the dam, Berta, in March 2016, was brutally killed in her home by hired gunmen. Also, on the boat was written “Tell the Truth”, one of XR’s prominent slogans and one of their 3 fundamental demands. This slogan was particularly fitting, as the boat was located a few streets away from the BBC HQ. The boat also represented our potential need for such crafts with rising sea levels.
Some of the organisers of XR informed us that Good Friday was to be a calmer day of reflection, with less disruption. About 10 minutes after Emma started speaking, however, a fellow rebel warned me about many police vans entering the surrounding area. I put a word out on Signal, which is a more encrypted version of WhatsApp. With Emma Thompson there and a very strong public presence, I didn’t feel the police would do much.
Hundreds of police gradually filled the area and encircled
us. They let the public out but cornered us protestors in the information tent.
They “kettled” us. Kettling is blocking the area and not allowing protestors
to leave or enter. As I moved around the area filming the police, I soon found myself on the outside of
the encirclement, and I was unable to get back in.
The sun beat down hard on us, as tension and energy increased. It was hard to say who were protestors and who were members of the public, but over 500 people filled the Oxford Circus area in support of us. The energy that filled the area was electric and powerful. A clear blue sky sat above and the sun remained strong throughout the day.
The sun beat down hard on us, as tension and energy increased. It was hard to say who were protestors and who were members of the public, but over 500 people filled the Oxford Circus area in support of us. The energy that filled the area was electric and powerful. A clear blue sky sat above and the sun remained strong throughout the day.
The police took many hours removing protestors, "the barnacles", from the boat, who
were attached to it with glue and lockons. As the police were doing this and preparing a route to take the
boat away, hundreds of other protestors set up at least three road blocks along
Regent Street toward the BBC building. I ran excitedly from blockade to blockade, to see where I was needed and to observe what was going on. At this point my
phone had died so I couldn’t film or photograph, though in a way this was good,
as I was so involved in what was going on.
Along a particular blockade, I saw police officers dragging two protestors aggressively across the street. Thankfully this act of force didn’t escalate to
anything else, for the protestors didn’t retaliate. This situation emphasised our completely non-violent approach.
I was at a road block that faced squarely down Regent Street
toward Oxford Circus. To see this huge street completely drained of the public
and filled with hundreds of police officers, and to hear the protestors in the
distance at Oxford Circus, their chants resounding through the streets,
was incredibly dramatic and powerful. The way the events of the day unfolded was very film-like.
Suddenly, a number of protesters and police started sprinting
away from us toward the BBC building. I missed what street the boat had been taken
through, but it had avoided the road blocks. We all sprinted to follow the boat
and create another blockade. I feel at this point, after the long day of
electric energy and strong sunshine, everyone was driven by
ferocity and passion. Things were getting pretty heated, though I saw no violence from the protestors. Around the back of the BBC building, about 100 protesters, including me, created a road-block on Great Portland Street, as police
approached with the boat.
Gail Bradbrook, one of the co-founders of XR, suddenly appeared in front of us, explaining her position on how we should proceed with the stalemate. Again, the way events progressed made me strongly feel as though I was in a film. I had never felt so energised, alive and connected to the people around me. Gail said XR’s Rapid Response Team had discussed the matter of the boat-removal the night before. They decided that wisdom should take precedence over ferocity and that the boat
should be released from us with dignity. Many of the protestors at first disagreed
with this decision. Gail had to explain her position twice until most of us
agreed it was the best thing to do. Gail explained that at a certain point some
things have to be let go and energies need to be focused on other matters.
Roger Hallam, another co-founder, was also present.
As day transformed into night, we spent a long time deciding the best way of saying goodbye
to the symbolic boat. Many beautiful things were said by many people. Everyone
seemed energised by the day and all were very articulate and emotional. We
were asked by one person, for example, to remember who the boat was named
after, Berta Cáceres, and the plight of many
other environmental land-defenders in the Global South.
I wanted to say what was on my mind, but couldn’t muster the
courage. I wanted to say that in the past 5 days I had never before observed and felt such a high degree of creativity, beauty,
organisation, passion and courage. The small communities existing at each protest site represented what humans could
achieve in days to come. I wanted to thank everyone and tell them I loved them.
With the intense events of the day still emblazoned on my mind, these words stirred within
me, but weren’t shared with the crowd.
It is difficult to convey the feelings that circulated within me on this day. The unforgettable experiences and drama of the previous days had reached a climax. I think because of this, and because of the shared, meaningful experiences of everyone present, the boat took on a highly charged and emotional presence. The boat represented the essential cause of our movement, of our rebellion.
It is difficult to convey the feelings that circulated within me on this day. The unforgettable experiences and drama of the previous days had reached a climax. I think because of this, and because of the shared, meaningful experiences of everyone present, the boat took on a highly charged and emotional presence. The boat represented the essential cause of our movement, of our rebellion.
After much deliberation, we decided on a way to bid farewell
to Berta. We all decided to march toward the Energy Institute a few streets away, where I believe
Shell have an office, and here we would say goodbye. A Scottish lady in the
crowd taught us a Shetland mourning song, which we would chant as we
marched.
Around 9pm, we
marched under glowing street lamps. Our mourning song filled the streets
of the country’s capital and silhouetted families waved at us from their windows.
Tears rose to my eyes. I think most of the public understand that our cause is
theirs as well. Our cause is in support of Mother Nature and all future life.
Lovingly chanting, marching and talking, with the ineffable emotions
of the day swirling within me, I vividly felt we were at the epicentre of history.
In years to come, when climate breakdown and ecological collapse become even more apparent, these days
will be looked back on and honoured. I thought of the many hundreds of people
arrested earlier in the day and how I wanted them to be here, to witness the
farewell of Berta Cáceres.
When I returned to Oxford Circus, after saying goodbye to Berta, the energy was much calmer. People had created signs that said “We are the Boat” on them. This filled me with deep emotion. There weren’t many people left, but the road blocks were still in place. I didn’t feel like staying. I wanted to be alone for some reason.
I managed to find my sleeping bag at Marble Arch and made a bed in Hyde Park. As I looked up at the polluted night sky of London, I felt free. I felt the whole city was ours, reclaimed by Conscientious Protectors. Lying there alone, deeply content, I'd discovered a part of myself I'd lost for a long time.
When I returned to Oxford Circus, after saying goodbye to Berta, the energy was much calmer. People had created signs that said “We are the Boat” on them. This filled me with deep emotion. There weren’t many people left, but the road blocks were still in place. I didn’t feel like staying. I wanted to be alone for some reason.
I managed to find my sleeping bag at Marble Arch and made a bed in Hyde Park. As I looked up at the polluted night sky of London, I felt free. I felt the whole city was ours, reclaimed by Conscientious Protectors. Lying there alone, deeply content, I'd discovered a part of myself I'd lost for a long time.
