Extinction Rebellion shows how not to run a protest group
Internal conflicts have dampened momentum, and harmed the outfit’s cause
ON SEPTEMBER 5TH Britons woke to discover that their news-stands were rather empty. Overnight, Extinction Rebellion (XR) had blocked access to three printworks owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News UK. The protest was not well received. Newspapers, and many environmentalists, called it an attack on free speech. Boris Johnson, the prime minister, thinks that XR should be classified as an organised-crime group, which would subject activists to surveillance typically reserved for gangsters.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Extinguished Rebellion”
Britain September 12th 2020
- Brexit negotiations hit a formidable new barrier
- Covid-19 and the end of commuterland
- Empty city centres are a crisis for cafés—and also an opportunity
- A rush of new teachers will help England’s short-handed schools
- Extinction Rebellion shows how not to run a protest group
- Britain’s treasure-hunting hobbyists get professional
- The modern Tory party’s uncompromising nature has deep historical roots
From the September 12th 2020 edition
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