Campaign Group Says Millions Will Take To Streets Over Queen's Speech

Extinction Rebellion has announced plans to get millions of protestors onto the streets in September in response to the Public Order Bill tabled in the Queen's speech on Tuesday (May 10).

The Bill, which seeks to reintroduce the curbs on protest recently thrown out of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill by the House of Lords, and is an attempt to curb protests by Extinction Rebellion, Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain calling for the government to take action on the climate crisis.

In its announcement, they site a recent Yougov poll, which they say reveals that disruptive protest is increasing the numbers of people in the UK willing to take climate action, with around 1.7 million adults in the UK saying they would consider engaging in climate action over the next 12 months.

The poll also found that:

“When asked about satisfaction with the efforts of the UK government, only 26.1% of UK adults thought the government was doing a lot to tackle climate change, with 46% disagreeing with this statement.” 

Charlie Waterhouse from Extinction Rebellion, said: 

“It is foolish to think that announcing new curbs in the Queen’s Speech will stop people taking to the streets to demand their government act to ensure a safe future for people in the UK and around the world. 

“As we in Extinction Rebellion know full well: what we do works. It’s worked countless times before. It has worked to give us weekends and the vote, human rights and freedom. And it will work again. Faced with a government incapable of anything other than a desperate attempt to shore-up its own power and cover-up its criminality it is the only thing we can do. To be a bystander is not enough.

“​​When juries are asked to sit in judgement of their peers, they are acquitting. The Government’s increasing reliance on private injunctions shows that they know they cannot rely on the courts, because the courts agree with us.”

“So Boris Johnson and Priti Patel, we thank you. Our organisations were set up to break the law to drive positive change. Your actions show that we are winning.”