XR 創意示威 喚醒人類救地球 (with English Translation)
EJ Global plus 環地視野 HKEJ Nov 2, 2019
陳希彤 (英國薩克塞斯大學發展學碩士)
Tiffany H Chan (MA Development Studies, IDS / University of Sussex)

筆者過往一年在英國居住,見證了一場正在進行的運動 : Extinction Rebellion (反抗滅絕,下稱XR)。XR 是在10月初進行為期14日的行動,其中包括一名示威者在繁忙時間,爬上倫敦地鐵車頂,阻止列車前進。另外有一名77歲的猶太拉比參與示威,在英倫銀行前跪下禱告後隨即被捕。
XR的行動在媒體廣傳,成為議論焦點。進入第二周的示威,倫敦大都會警方隨即直接禁止XR 的行動,首相約翰遜更加稱XR 的行動者為「不合作的髒皮士」(uncooperative crusties : 劍橋字典指 crusties為生活方式異於常人,頭髮髒亂,沒固定工作和住所的年輕人)。
約翰遜習慣性的失言不提,其實XR運動不單單是一般有關環境保護的示威,這些類型的示威無論是組織方法到表達方式都為由嬰兒潮官僚以及其他人所熟悉,尤其是環保議題早從上世紀八十年代就已經興起的歐洲。XR 運動則不一樣,管理區塊化,原子化,無領袖,僅憑共同意念維繫的運動,是新時代社會運動的典型。
2018年聯合國政府間氣候變化專門委員會 (IPCC) 發表氣候報告,指出人類只剩下12年時間控制氣候進一步變暖所帶來的災難。XR 就是在這個背景下同年在英國成立。
XR 有三大訴求:政府必須說明真相,讓大眾知道生態危機 ; 政府必須馬上行動,阻止生物多樣性的流失,並在 2025 年前將溫室氣體排放量減到零淨 ; 政府必須全力支持成立一個「氣候及生態正義人民會議」,亦需聽從此會議的結果及決定。
XR是一個分域管理、非暴力的國際社會運動。分域是指XR在英國各地均有組織,定期有行動會議,至今英國已經有130多個分支,全球則超過600分支。XR 雖「無大台」,但發起人就制訂了行動綱領及基本原則,讓有心人可以在自己的區域發起組織。10 月中的時候,香港亦舉行了首次XR行動,而香港區的三大訴求亦因地制宜而稍有不同。同時,XR每次行動都有註明被捕可能,希望參加者先行了解個人權益及衡量被捕風險。
行動中建構新身份
筆者早前在英國念書,校園、居住的城市以及生活之中都有不少有關XR的行動,身邊亦有不少朋友響應組織者的呼籲,參與直接行動。以下有幾點觀察 :
1. XR的原則包括非暴力的直接行動 (Direct Action),即是由參與者直接公民抗命行動,例如佔領、堵路及罷工。XR跟很多其他抗議一樣,指出行動需要阻礙一般經濟秩序,才可以引起社會各個領域關注。同時亦有一定的公開及可見性,可以在媒體之間得以廣傳。XR的文宣指出,科學家過往幾十年已經一直在警告氣候危機,但情況沒有改善,可見傳統的政治行動已經失去效力。筆者今年4月在倫敦遇上XR在幾個主要景點及地標示威。在唐人街一家茶餐廳,就聽著老闆娘跟食客談及示威,催促要快離開,因為示威就在唐人街附近。在「搵食大哂」的經濟金融中心,阻人搵食才真的可以觸動一個大都會的神經。
2. XR為過往的抗爭帶來了新的詞彙。參與XR行動的人會自稱或互稱 Rebels (反抗者),亦將現在視為 Emergency (緊急狀態) ,正正就反映了言語的力量,在抗爭中建構出新的身份,亦為社會帶來了新的語言。例如,英國多所公營機構及大學,包括英國國會,亦公開宣佈氣候緊急狀態。大學亦是非常重要的一環,因為很多大學都會把基金投資在石油及鑽探行業,以賺取收益。早前紐約時報的一篇評論文章稱許XR為當代環境抗爭提供新的敘述,在權力鬥爭、零和、自我的政治世界,反抗者卻一同行動,連結社會各個階層。從行動的相片可見,小孩、教授、大學生、長者、牧師都在其中。而示威者的行動亦非常有創意,10月初,一群初生嬰兒的母親帶同小孩在唐寧街10號首相府前集體哺乳,指出孩童正是生態危機中最脆弱的一群。
太白太中產遭詬病
3. XR的行動亦被指「太白」「太中產」,甚少非白人非中產社群的參加者,亦沒有注意社會階級的意識。這個跟本身環境或氣候研究行業有關,因為行業內本身就是白人為主。XR的行動策略亦被詬病,例如中產背景的白人被捕及非白人被捕有非常不同的待遇,非白人很多時不能承受被捕的風險,然而主流社群對警政系統仍然信任,所以XR的被捕策略令很多非白人卻步,並感到「離地」。
簡單來說,XR的行動就是一個求生的行動,在世界陷入生態危機之時發出滅絕警號。在XR的行動宣言,他們稱現在是最黑暗的時候。而最後一句,以愛作結 : “We act in peace, with ferocious love of these lands in our hearts. We act on behalf of life.”(我們用心裡對這片土地有熱熾的愛來和平地行動。我們為生命而行動。)
English Translation:
I was living in UK in the past year and have witnessed a new ongoing protest — Extinction Rebellion (XR). XR had a two-week protest in early October, including one protestor climbed up onto the Tube in London during peak hour, stopped the Tube from going. Also, a 77-year-old Rabbi was arrested after praying in front of the Bank of England during the protest.
XR is widely shared and circulated in media. London Metropolitan Police has banned XR protests and Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticised the protestors as “uncooperative crusties”- according to the Cambridge Dictionary — crusty is a “young person who does not live in a way that society considers normal, typically with untidy or dirty clothes and hair, and no regular job or permanent home”.
XR is not a typical protest on environmental conservation. But, this type of protest is not alien to the Europe that has seen through the rising concerns upon environment since the 80s. However, XR is new to the world with its organising features. XR is organised in small, autonomous groups distributed around the world. XR is leaderless, which protestors are connected with same belief — and that is a prototype for the new era of social movement.
IPCC released the climate report in 2018, and announced that human only have 12 years left to control the catastrophe that brought by global warming. And that laid the background for XR.
XR has three demands –
1. The government should tell the truth, by declaring a climate and ecological emergency, working with other institutions to communicate the urgency for change.
2. The government must act now to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
3. Government must create and be led by the decisions of a Citizens’ Assembly on climate and ecological justice.
XR is self-autonomous, non-violent international social movement. Self-autonomous / Self-organising means you can find XR groups everywhere in UK, and have regular action meetings. Now XR has more than 130 groups inside UK and more than 600 all over the world. XR has no leaders, but the initiators have established working principles and action strategies, so people who are interested can organise themselves. Hong Kong also had its first XR action in mid-October this year. The demands for Hong Kong branch are mildly modified to suit the situation in the city. XR notifies the protestors for each action about the risk of being arrested and to let protestors to understand their own legal rights and to make decisions.
I was studying in UK and have witnessed the direct actions that made by XR — and I have friends who went on joining the protests — here are some of the observations —
1. XR uses non-violent direct actions — which literally directly action from participants, for example occupy, road blocks, and general strike. Like other protests, XR believes that only disrupting the normal economic order can bring the issue to the table and raise awareness. At the same time, the actions are highly open and visible, so to attract the media and circulate. In the promotion of XR, it says that scientists have been warning about the climate emergency for several decades, but it is not changing anything — and that means the traditional political actions are no longer effective. I was in London during April this year, while XR was protesting in several landmarks and tourist spots. I overheard the owner of a restaurant in the China Town about the protest. The owner told the customer to leave early as the protest was taking place near the China Town. In the metropolitan like this, only by disrupting a normal order can we touch the nerve of the public.
2. XR has given new vocabulary for the past protests. XR participants call themselves or each other as “rebels”and declare now as “emergency”. This reflects the power of words and construct new identities in protests. For example, public authorities and universities, like the Parliament, have openly declared the Climate Emergency. Universities are important parts too, as they invest the funds in oil and fracking industries, so to gain revenue. An opinion from the New York Times earlier has praised the XR for providing new narratives to the modern environmental protests. Protestors work together and connect with all walks of life, while the politicians are in power struggle, zero-sum and self-interest world of politics. As we can see from the photos of the protests, we can see faces of kids, academics, university students, senior citizens and pastors. Besides, XR has very creative actions. In early October, there was a nurse-in protest in front of 10 Downing Street, where a group of mothers breastfed their babies as to point out kids are the vulnerable group in climate emergency.
3. However, XR is also being called out as “too white” and “too middle-class”. It is not so common to see non-white non-middle class protestors, and have rather low sensitivity towards social class. It can be the result of the climate and environmental research industry where most workers are white. XR is also being criticised with the strategy of civil disobedience arrest. For example, white people are treated differently from non-white people. And white population still tend to believe in the policing system — and so the strategy is stopping non-white people from joining the protests.
In short, XR is an action for life-saving, and to ring an emergency bell as the world is going into crisis. In their declaration, XR says it is the darkest hour. Still, it ends with love — “We act in peace, with ferocious love of these lands in our hearts. We act on behalf of life.”
