Viva Brighton Issue #73 March 2019

FEATURE
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Extinction Rebellion
Emergency on planet Earth
Photo by luke@passionworksproductions.com
“I would be scared to
be arrested but I think
it might happen at
some point,” says Hilary
Toope. The 65-yearold
retired headteacher
and grandmother of
three seems an unlikely
person to wind up in
police custody. But as a
member of grassroots
climate change movement
Extinction Rebellion,
which encourages
‘non-violent acts of civil disobedience’, she is
prepared for the possibility. Last November
she was among a group of Brighton residents
who travelled to London to join the ‘Week
of Rebellion’ that followed the formation of
Extinction Rebellion. Thousands of activists
glued themselves to public buildings, blocked
major bridges and disrupted traffic in an attempt
to draw attention to the ‘unprecedented global
emergency’ posed by climate change, and force
the government to take the issue more seriously.
“We have all the knowledge and technology to
change to a zero carbon world but we need to
change the political will of our leaders,” Toope says.
This January, the pensioner joined more than 80
members of the newly formed Brighton branch
of Extinction Rebellion in a ‘die-in’ staged in
the middle of Churchill Square. “It was our
biggest action yet and it was very powerful,”
she explains. “At 3pm, we fell down ‘dead’ on
the floor for eleven minutes to represent the
eleven years we have left to take decisive action
and turn things around.” She says support
for the group has since swelled; around 50
people attend monthly
meetings and they have
nearly 1,000 followers
on their Facebook page.
“We have supporters
from all backgrounds
and ranging in age from
students to older retired
folks like myself. We
are not affiliated to any
political party, there are
no leaders and there’s no
money involved. Anyone
who cares about climate
change is welcome.”
As well as furthering the messages of the global
movement, the Brighton branch lobbies for
improvements on a local level. Earlier this
year they were successful in petitioning the
city council to declare a climate emergency
and pledge to make Brighton carbon neutral
by 2030. “I feel Brighton needs to be one of
the front runners in this movement and this
is a great first step,” Toope says. “Declaring
the emergency is relatively easy but becoming
carbon neutral is more of a challenge and we will
be doing everything we can to support them.”
In April, Extinction Rebellion is calling for
another week of civil disobedience around the
world and Toope intends to be among those
making their voices heard. “This is the first time
I’ve been involved in any sort of direct action.
But I’m a grandmother now and I fear for my
grandchildren’s future. I want to be able to
look them in the eye and know that I am doing
everything I can to protect the world they will
inherit.” Nione Meakin
facebook.com/nepocide
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