A camp under the gaze of Lord Nelson. Here, at the foot of the iconic monument in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London, stood the operational centre of Extinction Rebellion during the international rebellion: a mobilisation that involved 60 cities around the world and that in the British capital, the birthplace of the radical and nonviolent environmental movement, lasted two weeks from 7 October. The group, known by the acronym XR, managed to maintain its presence at Trafalgar for the first seven days, until the following week the protests were banned.

La ribellione internazionale di Extinction Rebellion a Londra

Trafalgar Square during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Police officers in front of a hearse bearing a banner reading 'our future' during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Some activists handcuffed themselves to the hearse to prevent it from being removed during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Extinction Rebellion activists known as the Red Brigades during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

The Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Seb White and Dolly Feaver curated the schedule for Rebel Radio, the channel dedicated to the October rebellion hosted by Soho Radio © Lucca Messer

During the recording of Humans of XR with activist Daze Aghaji. The programme was broadcast on Rebel Radio, the channel dedicated to the October rebellion © Mara Budgen

Trafalgar Square during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Tents seized by police during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Activists linked together through a tube occupy the space in front of the tents seized by police during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Moments of celebration during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

A die-in during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London. 164 people lay down on the ground in silence to commemorate all the environmental activists killed around the world in 2018 according to the Global Witness report © Mara Budgen

Occupation of the BBC headquarters to demand a meeting with senior management during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

An activist in St James's Park during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Police clear the encampment in St James's Park during the Extinction Rebellion international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

Another important gathering point was in St. James's Park, where the "rebels" could recharge, helped in part by the presence of therapists and yoga instructors. This is where the principle of regenerative culture was put into practice — the idea that the wellbeing of individuals is a prerequisite for their participation in XR actions. As early as 10 October, however, the police arrived to remove the tents and infrastructure from the park. Amid arrests and circles forming around the encampment, a young man took the floor. Each of his sentences was repeated by the others so that everyone could hear — statements such as "just because the police are telling us to do something doesn't mean we have to resist" — and at the end, at the call of "temperature check," people raised their hands if they agreed with what had been said. A voting system for making collective decisions on the spot, which in this case resulted in the voluntary clearance of the occupied site.

ribellione internazionale Extinction rebellion Londra 7 20 ottobre — The encampment in St. James's Park is cleared by police during Extinction Rebellion's international rebellion in London © Mara Budgen

This episode captures the essence of the great occupation in the name of climate and the environment that in London involved 30,000 participants, resulting in over 1,800 arrests and £20 million (€23 million) spent by the Metropolitan Police. Amid the chaos and the confrontation with law enforcement — civil but tense nonetheless — XR members always supported one another with a strong collaborative spirit.

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Who are the Extinction Rebellion activists

In this electrifying and unpredictable atmosphere we met some of the movement's figures, who told us about the movement from their own perspective. Starting with Daze Aghaji, 19, a university student of history and politics and regenerative cultures coordinator for Extinction Rebellion in the UK. "I joined XR because I was looking for a message that conveyed the urgency of the climate crisis." But that wasn't all. "I decided to stand in the European elections in May because there was nobody speaking about the climate crisis. I didn't want the issue to be overshadowed by Brexit." She didn't become an MEP, but her experience proved that "political awareness has no age limit" — she was, in fact, the youngest candidate of all. "When I was 16 (when the Brexit referendum was held, ed.) I was perfectly capable of making a political decision, more so than many adults."

Scopriamo il giovane attivismo per il clima internazionale, a Ferrara, con Daze Aghaji e Alexander Fiorentini

Daze Agahji Extinction Rebellion UK Londra — Daze Aghaji, 19-year-old student and regenerative cultures coordinator for Extinction Rebellion in the UK © Mara Budgen

While Aghaji is one of the movement's younger faces, Rob Cooper represents those with more experience behind them. The former chief superintendent of Cornwall Police is now an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson. "I joined for the same reason I became a police officer — to protect the community," he says. "When I see the police, I don't feel that there's 'us' on one side and 'them' on the other. One of my concerns is precisely for my former colleagues. During extreme weather events, police officers, firefighters and emergency responders often face situations that put their lives at risk. This is 2019 — think about what it could be like in 2050."

Rob Cooper di Extinction Rebellion UK — Rob Cooper, former chief superintendent of Cornwall Police and now an Extinction Rebellion spokesperson © Lucca Messer

And behind the faces and voices of the movement are those who devoted themselves body and soul to organising the October rebellion. Among them is Josie Holt, who after setting up a local group in north Devon went on to work with the national one, becoming coordinator of the members' assembly working groups. "I was living in a bubble, in a permaculture settlement. When the IPCC report came out and I started to understand what is really happening, it immediately became clear that there is no such thing as a safe haven. What I was doing was no longer enough."

Josie Holt di Extinction Rebellion UK — Josie Holt set up an XR group in north Devon before becoming national coordinator of the members' assembly working groups © Lucca Messer

"You reach a certain point and what do you do — walk away and hope someone else solves the problems?" — these are Holt's words, against the backdrop of a Trafalgar Square alive with music and group activities despite the rain and cold. In facing the challenge of climate change, XR has presented itself as a space for collective action for those who believe that petitions, marches and voting are not enough to change things — that you have to put yourself on the front line. "We are a sensible response and a predictable consequence of the situation we find ourselves in," says Holt.

For her part, Aghaji — whom we interviewed before her programme on Rebel Radio, a channel hosted by Soho Radio during the October rebellion — highlights the inclusive and welcoming character of XR, which she sees as "a community of supportive people." These individuals, united by common goals and bound together by the culture of regenerative culture, share the movement's approach "grounded in a historical analysis, above all of civil disobedience," the 19-year-old activist recalls — the fruit of the studies carried out by founders Roger Hallam, who did not take part in the recent occupation because he is in prison, and Gail Bradbrook, arrested and then released during the international rebellion.

The group, which grew massively following the first London occupation in November 2018 and the one in April of this year that brought it to the attention of the entire world, is governed by a complex organisational system. "A holacratic system," explains Holt, in which "there is no hierarchical structure directed from the top." There are large groups — such as local ones or groups organised by affiliation (young people, families, people with disabilities, doctors, etc.) — that contain other groups, each of which has a mandate to operate with relative autonomy within a specific area, such as communications or wellbeing services. "It works a bit like a spider's web, and since no one is at the top, if someone is no longer there because they've been arrested, for instance, it makes no difference at all."

Three keywords

Truth

This collective force is unleashed in pursuit of three specific objectives. The first is that the government tells the truth about the climate crisis. "They should have done so a long time ago," states Aghaji. "Climate change could have been a myth of the past, but now it is a reality. That is why everyone must be informed, because it threatens our survival." "If the government doesn't want to act, it's not in its interest to tell the truth," analyses Cooper, "and we are here to raise awareness in its place. We use media attention to make people understand that climate change is already under way." And according to Holt, "even if you don't agree with us, you're at least talking about it. That is the first step towards the truth."

Action

XR's methods of civil disobedience are criticised by many. "I'm sorry to cause discomfort to people," shares Aghaji. "We don't do it because we have no lives — I have university, I have my brothers and my mother whom I'd like to spend this time with. But we have 30 years of scientific evidence behind us and nothing has been done. If action had been taken before I was born, we wouldn't need to protest and ruin your day." The principle of action underpins the group's second demand, namely to reach net zero emissions by 2025, an even more ambitious target than the one suggested by the Sr15 report from the Ipcc. So for extreme ills (such as the terrifying rise in temperatures), extreme remedies — such as getting arrested, something Aghaji would be prepared to do. "I know I could give even more of myself to the cause."

People

"We try not to lean too far towards telling people what to do," Cooper answers diplomatically when asked what actions should be taken, "the solutions should come from the citizens' assembly." This is the movement's third demand: the creation of a citizens' assembly based on the Irish model made up of ordinary people representative of the population and selected by sortition, who, following a process of education and consultation, would be expected to produce recommendations on climate strategy. "The government has shown it is unable to tackle a problem of this scale," says Holt, because "politicians only think about the next election," in Cooper's words. "That is why we want a citizens' assembly made up of ordinary people," Holt continues, "people who don't have to protect their power, their seats or their privileges, and who are asked how we can act."

What the international rebellion is for

Members of the movement know that their demands are ambitious. "We're not saying that XR will pave the way for radical change, but we can bring about changes," according to Aghaji. And some progress has been made: the occupation of London from 15 to 25 April resulted in the declaration of a climate and environmental emergency by Parliament — even if "we haven't heard anything more from them since," says Holt. In a sense, though, it doesn't matter what the immediate impact of the most recent rebellion — that of October — turns out to be, because "if nothing happens this week or this month, the movement will keep growing," states Cooper. "More and more people are realising that it's time to act because the threat is real."

Read also: The United Kingdom declares a climate emergency, the first country in the world to do so

Cooper is right: Extinction Rebellion will keep growing. Just consider that the movement raised nearly one million pounds (just over one million euros) in donations in just two weeks on one of the crowdfunding platforms set up to finance the rebellion in London. But the wave of solidarity and enthusiasm conceals a great doubt: that all of this may not be enough to change course, slow global warming and halt the sixth mass extinction. The only thing one can do, however, is keep going. "Would I want my children to be part of XR?" asks Holt. "No, I wouldn't want to be doing it myself, let alone them. I hope it doesn't exist by the time my younger children are old enough to take action. I hope all of this becomes a distant memory for them and that they say to me, 'Mum, do you remember when you were still going out to protest, before everything changed?'".

London rebelling: Extinction Rebellion activists tell their story — the video