'Code for Social Change': The History of Extinction Rebellion

From a massive public disobedience that aimed to shut down the operation of an airport to an insane demand for animal-free diet that cost the police an almost £14,000, the reputation of Extinction Rebellion is surely not good among people who barely know anything about them.

Yet there are still a lot who believed in them. After all, they were fighting for a massive societal restructuring which involves a greener economy -- something that so in dire need right now after more than 11,000 scientists warned about possible global disasters if we do not take climate change more seriously.

And behind this group is a 47-year old woman, Gail Bradbrook, who claimed to have gone to a psychedelic pilgrimage in the hope of finding the "codes for social change". 

The Answer to Her Prayer

Growing up in Yorkshire from a family of coal miners, Bradbrook began her social justice activism at the age of 14. Yet after decades of joining campaigns, she felt some sort of identity crisis. There was something inside her that she cannot identify yet she knew it must be unlocked.

So in the hope of seeking answers, she travelled to the jungle of Costa Rica in 2016 to participate on a Shamanic spiritual ritual which involves ingesting various hallocinogenic plant-based extracts.

The procedure was terrifying, according to Bradbrook herself, and yet she pushed herself to the limit. After finishing it, she claimed that it was "utterly transformative".

Upon returning to England and ending her marriage, she met a group of activists, including a Welsh organic farmer Roger Hallam, who offered her the "code" to her prayer. Together, they formed the radical campaign group, Rising Up!, which eventually transformed into what we now known as Extinction Rebellion or XR. 

Nonviolent, Mass Civil Disobedience

Much like most campaign groups, XR initially started by giving talks to the community. However, upon realizing that it is not effective, they have changed their ways to a more aggressive yet non-violent approach: through a mass civil disobedience. 

On November 2018, armed with white banners that call to end the usage of fossil fuels, the group started its first mass demonstration by shutting down five bridges in London. The action was criticized for exceeding the limit, and yet it served as the start of their massive influence.

Few days later, they declared rebellion against the United Kingdom's government by lying at the London's Parliament Square. It is said that even Greta Thunberg, who became the "mockingjay" of youth climate activism, has participated in the said demonstration. 

A year later, the group has more than 500 affiliates across all over the world. These affiliates have also conducted their own eye-catching demonstration, such as the huge boat in New York Time Square. 

It is reported that XR members, which include some law-abiding elderly who wished for the future of their offspring, were aware and are willing to be arrested in a hope of pressuring the police force and criminal judicial system to take the matter more seriously. 

A form of anarchism?

Not everyone supports XR, especially those who work on or with the government. The approach was heavily criticized by authorities that London's Metropolitan Police committed an "unlawful" conduct of banning them from the city.

Richard Walton, former head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, also called their activism as an "anarchism with a smile". 

The public criticized them for being "too white, too middle-class, and too apathetic". 

Yet despite that, the group prevails, and analysts said that it is because the group was launched on a perfect timing. Greta's emotional speech in a UN Climate Forum, the UN's 2030 prediction, the warning of the 11,000 scientists, various climate change disasters, and even Brexit -- all of these happened as the group is gaining its traction.

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