Today, the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion will rebel against Black Friday in Amsterdam city center. Their message is clear: don’t buy, but refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rebel.
Extinction Rebellion is the world’s fastest-growing non-violent climate movement. The movement was established in the UK in 2018 but has since spread to 73 countries with 1,138 local groups.
Their goal is to persuade the governments worldwide to act on the climate and ecological emergency.
In a press release published by Extinction Rebellion Netherlands earlier this week, the reasoning behind this Friday’s action is the destruction and CO2 emissions caused by mass consumption of consumer goods and clothing.
According to their statement, roughly 200 million kilos of textile are thrown away in the Netherlands every year.
What is expected today?
The Facebook events advertise guerrilla repair and knitting workshops, education booths on fast fashion, street theatre, and a “toxic systems rave.” The events will start at 11 AM on Spui in Amsterdam and continue throughout the day.
Planning to rebel?
Just bring your circus outfits (obviously), old clothes in need of a repair, and your facemask.
Throughout the Netherlands
While the spotlight will probably be on Amsterdam, protests are also planned in Almere, Castricum, Enschede, Eindhoven, Haarlem, Nijmegen, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Wageningen. Their goal is universal: end Black Friday.
What do you think of Extinction Rebellion’s efforts? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Feature Image: Markus Spiske/Unsplash
Care for the environment is a laudable pursuit.
But XR’s approach is selfish, their tactics offensive and counterproductive.
What XR fail to realize is that their right to protest ends where the rights of others begin. The rights of others include basic everyday notions such the right to commute to work unimpeded, the right to shop or dine without being harrassed, …, the list is extensive.
If they were not so extreme, maybe more folks would listen to them and make worthwhile changes to their lifestyle and puchasing habits.
These modern-day Luddites are hypocrites; they all have 📱 cellphones. You can tell from about 150 m away when they’re coming from their smell; their goal is to recycle and reuse which evidently applies to bath water as well. 👃 👃