Vancouver, BC, Canada. Oct. 7, 2019 - As part of the International Week of Rebellion, Extinction Rebellion’s Vancouver chapter will engage in peaceful civil disobedience on Oct. 7, 2019 from 8:30 am onwards with a #BridgeOut blockade of Burrard Bridge, located on the unceded territory of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. This morning, Extinction Rebellion Vancouver released an open letter announcing their plans addressed to indigenous groups, citizens of Vancouver, law enforcement and the city. On Oct. 7 there will be an opening ceremony conducted near Burrard bridge by a representative of the Squamish, Musqueam, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Soonafter, the blockade is set to commence. Musical performances, art, drumming, and speeches from other guests are planned on the bridge throughout the day. “We do not want to cause disruption to people going about their everyday lives,” Extinction Rebellion Vancouver explains in the open letter, “but we have no other choice.” Grace Grignon, a volunteer spokesperson for the movement highlights that “major policies put forward by the Canadian government, including continued development of the TMX pipeline, blindly ignore the existential threat of global warming and contradict the nation’s declaration of a climate emergency. We demand that the Canadian government tell the truth about the climate crisis and be held accountable through a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice. Please join us in peaceful rebellion on Burrard Bridge.”
Please find a copy of the open letter addressed to indigenous groups, citizens of Vancouver, law enforcement and the city attached. For more information please read our notes below or contact: Name: Edison Huang Phone: 778-809-3782 Email: media.xrvan@protonmail.com
Extinction Rebellion (XR) is an international grassroots movement that uses nonviolent direct action to drive systemic change. The aim is to mobilize the public in the face of the climate and ecological crisis, as historical evidence shows that this kind of movement requires the active involvement of 3.5% of the population to succeed. The movement is fully made up of volunteers and relies solely on donations.
Time has almost run out to address the ecological crisis facing us, including the 6th mass extinction, global pollution and abrupt, runaway climate change. If rapid action is not taken, scientists see societal collapse and mass death as inevitable, with human extinction also a possibility. Extinction Rebellion believes it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their governments. Extinction Rebellion has three key demands: TELL THE TRUTH - Government must tell the truth about the climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change. ACT NOW - Government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025. BEYOND POLITICS - Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice. For more information, visit: https://xrvancouver.ca