Throughout the world many citizens use protests as a way to demonstrate their political advocacy for a topic or agenda. Protests can often times result in real change, new legislation, and even revolutions, however they are never easy and may result in governmental backlash. We are currently on day 4 of the Extinction Rebellion protests in London. Extinction Rebellion is a socio-political movement which intends to utilise nonviolent resistance to avert climate breakdown, halt biodiversity loss, and minimise the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse.

Protestors are currently occupying four pressure points in Britain’s capital and have set up roadblocks. They are calling on the government to reduce carbon emissions to zero by the year 2025. Although this protest has gained a lot of support worldwide it has not come without its difficulties. There have been over 400 arrests linked to the Extinction Rebellion with the capitals cells rapidly filling up. Police have had trouble controlling the protest due to policing budget cuts. Many who have been arrested are being taken to police stations outside of London. Although there have been a vast number of arrests the police are approaching it lightly out of fear that they might lose public support.

The Extinction Rebellion has resulted in a large social media presence. They have an official website where you can join the rebellion. There has been a vast number of tweets about the protest including British influencers encouraging the youth of the country to get involved. Many media platforms such as BBC within the UK are providing live updates of the protest. It appears it is growing in support and coverage. I will be interested to see how long this protest will last as the day continues. I admire their call to action and political advocacy for our environment and climate.