Extinction Rebellion stages pump protest at BP station
Extinction Rebellion campaigners blockaded the BP garage on Elizabeth Way, Cambridge, on Saturday.
For nearly two hours the protestors, who are highlighting the need for governments to declare a global climate emergency, swarmed over the site, spilling – and then cleaning up – fake ‘oil’ and causing disruption, but, they claimed, it was “nothing on the level of disruption BP has created by blocking strong climate policies, fuelling the climate emergency, causing deadly oil spills and putting profits above life”.
"Our action shut down the garage for nearly two hours and attracted a lot of support from passing motorists," said a spokesperson for the group. "We weren't surprised by this support because it's increasingly obvious to people that we need to move on from the fossil fuel era to tackle the climate emergency and create a better world. Politicians aren't willing to stand up to the fossil fuel industry, and we're nearly out of time. So it's now down to the people to stand up and do something about it. We'll keep targeting fossil fuel companies and the politicians that refuse to take them on until we win."
Meanwhile Extinction Rebellion Cambridge is hosting a Critical Mass demonstration on Parker’s Piece tomorrow from 5.45-7pm.
Groups attending include Carbon Neutral Cambridge, Cambridge Carbon Footprint, Cambridge School Eco-Council, Friends of the Earth, Smarter Cambridge Transport, Anglia Ruskin University, Transition Cambridge.
On Monday the group will meet with environment councillor Rosy Moore to discuss the group's proposals.
"It's to talk about next steps," Cllr Moore told the Cambridge Independent. "Our main focus at the moment is cleaning up the air, working on the clean air zone. We're responsible for air quality but we're not the Highways Authority so we can't just impose things, we need to work with the Greater Cambridge Partnership and the county council so we can get cracking on that.
"On climate change, we're working on a Climate Charter. Working on our own emissions is a constant."
The meeting - "in my understanding", says Cllr Moore - will also include Cambridge City Council leader Lewis Herbert, and the Cambridge Schools Eco-Council.
"Absolutely we'll be there, and we're looking forward to talking with him (Cllr Herbert) about what a climate emergency really means, and what can be done in Cambridge to respond," said Nico Roman of the Cambridge Schools Eco-Council. "We'll be presenting our local Open Letter to the city council, proposing - among other ideas - a children and youth eco-advisory committee on climate change, and a Citizen's Assembly on climate change in Cambridge like the one in Oxford."
"Being able to bring together a group like this demonstrates that the momentum in Cambridge to tackle the climate and environment emergency is building rapidly," concluded the Extinction Rebellion spokesperson.
