Banners, slogans, road blockades and people glued — literally — to the ground. But in Dover this is no ordinary protest by young people. This time it's the grandparents taking to the streets, led by John Lymes.
"It's wonderful that young people are protesting, but it was my generation that created all these problems, so here I am." These were the words of John Lymes, 91 years old, seated in his little chair in the front row during the protest.
The demonstration, organised by Extinction Rebellion on Saturday 21 September, takes place at the heart of climate week, which is mobilising people around the world in an attempt to halt the advance of climate change.
This action aimed to block traffic to and from the port of Dover in order to highlight the United Kingdom's dependence on food imports. The only vehicles permitted to pass were those transporting medical supplies or responding to emergencies.
"As climate change grows ever stronger, millions of British people will have to contend with the growing threat of food shortages, hunger and famine," said Chris Atkins, spokesperson for the Dover group of Extinction Rebellion. "This crisis may seem distant in time and space, but given the UK's dependence on food imports, we are extremely vulnerable. The government must tell the truth and act, now!"
Read also: The crises we face today are rooted in the unsustainable production of our food
The sit-in had begun in the space assigned by the authorities, but after a few hours around ten people decided to move and glue themselves, literally, to the ground to prevent cars from passing. The port of Dover is one of the busiest in Europe and is crossed by 5 million cars and 12 million people every day, so the disruption caused was considerable.
"I'm sorry for all this trouble, but it had to be done," Lymes continued shortly before being arrested live on television. In total, throughout the day, 10 arrests were made, including Lymes himself — 91 years old, it bears repeating — and a fellow protester aged 83. They did not resist and peacefully followed the authorities to the patrol cars while being filmed by the cameras present.
This too was a multigenerational protest; just as happened during the recent strikes in New York and in Australia, people of all ages took to the streets to listen to the concerns of the younger generation and protest alongside them. We are only at the beginning of climate week and a great deal has already been achieved.
