Angry commuters drag Extinction Rebellion protesters off trains during London travel disruption

[brooklynite]

Source: CNN

London commuters dragged climate change protesters off the top of trains on Thursday morning, as clashes broke out between peak-hour passengers and activists who disrupted travel in the British capital.

Protesters from the global environmental movement Extinction Rebellion climbed onto carriages and glued themselves to trains, bringing parts of the city's transport network to a grinding halt.

Demonstrators, who are intent on forcing government action on ecological breakdown, hung a black banner in the east London station of Canning Town that read: "Business as usual = Death."

With trains stopped at the station, angry commuters soon took action into their own hands. Videos on social media showed a large crowd shouting at a protester on top of a train and throwing objects at him, before a commuter grabbed his ankles and dragged him off the roof. The crowd below surged forward into a physical altercation, which ended only after station staff and other passengers intervened.

Read more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/17/uk/extinction-rebellion-london-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_source=twCNN&utm_content=2019-10-17T13%3A40%3A04&utm_term=video&utm_medium=social

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Pushing for climate change by making mas transit ineffective. And targeting voters rather than the Government. That'll work....

[Siwsan]

1. I'm beginning to think they are more interested in attention than they are results

Kind of like when they cause massive traffic jams, causing the idling vehicles to spew more fumes, into the atmosphere, than if they'd been allowed to go on their way.

I pointed this out on another site, and was labeled as a troll.

[jberryhill]

2. When you state the truth, and are accused of being a troll...

...then you have learned something important about the person making that accusation.

[Miguelito Loveless]

5. I guess it depends

on how seriously you take the entire issue of global warming. If you look at the numbers, and believe the results, we are not nearly as frightened as we should be.

I find it interesting that some people are scared of terrorists, who at best, can kill thousands of people, but not afraid of anthropogenic global warming that can kill billions.

[Siwsan]

8. I take global warming with the utmost serious fear

But it makes no sense, to me, for a group to cause more of what's a major contributor to the problem. People who are trying to get to their jobs so they can make a wage and pay their bills. The more you infuriate them, the more you alienate them. And people dressing up like vegetables, as a teaching/warning mechanism seems an equally ineffective tool.

I have no ultimate answer for what is the best way to educate and enlist people, but I am pretty sure that what they are doing isn't going to prove to be very effective.

[Miguelito Loveless]

32. Certainly you make several cogent points

But I kind of can see that for some people we have reached the point of the 1956 Invasion of the Body Snatchers where the hero desperately tries to warn people of their mortal peril, only to be ignored, derided, and ultimately hauled off as a crazy.

We have tried sober, factual discussion for decades and that has done little to prevent our coming destruction. It sames to play out the same as every other crisis we face today. 1/3 want to act now, 1/3 deny its happening, and 1/3 don't care and wish both sides would shut up so they can continue binge-watching [fill in the name of latest hot TV series].

I agree that dressing up as a vegetable and screwing up folks commute can be counter-productive, but a substantial portion of humanity is now impervious to logic, and utterly, willfully ignorant, and proud of it.

[Siwsan]

33. It's a conundrum, that's for sure

There are people who are so much like the 'Black Knight' in the 'Quest for the Holy Grail' Monty Python movie. It doesn't matter what they are told or hit with, they will never, ever admit there is a problem.

Some will ignore this until their cities are flooded, and then, still, they may stay in denial.

[Miguelito Loveless]

39. I have several at work

Who absolutely refuse all issues on pollution. They are firm believers in “no regulations”, all government is bad, etc.

There are days I could scream.

[MrsCheaplaugh]

42. Yes, and add to this the fact

that Big Petroleum makes its profits off fossil fuel consumption, and will protect those profits at any cost, including the destruction of this planet.

What are we going to do?

[Miguelito Loveless]

44. That is the $64 trillion question

(Okay, that was an arbitrary number to make a dusty pop culture joke that say way too much about how old I might be).

People seriously underestimate how much money is at stake and what the people making that money will do to protect it. One estimate puts fossil fuel profits (oil, coal, and gas) at $5 billion per DAY. I am definitely compelling circumstantial evidence that disinformation campaigns are under way again renewable energy, electric transportation, sustainable farming, etc. it only takes a tiny fraction of those profits to misinform the public and flat out buy politicians. 0.1% of that number is $5 million per day, and that can buy a lot of leverage.

The good news is that despite what’s stacked against us, we are making gains on all fronts. The bad news is the corporate behemoths are getting more alarmed and now see political instability and fascism as the tools they need to protect their avarice.

[MrsCheaplaugh]

41. This.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. The lesson of that is: turn off your engine when you're in a traffic jam

whether or not it's caused by a protest. This saves you money, as well as the planet. There's a reason modern cars turn themselves off automatically when at rest.

No, you weren't a troll, but it's a pretty weak point you made.

[Siwsan]

14. I had NO idea modern cars did that! I hate driving, so I do as little as possible, in my 2002 Saturn

And, while I respect your opinion, I would hardly consider my point to be "weak". Their methods make no sense, to me, and seem an 'exercise in futility'. That's just the way my mind works, I guess.

[SoCalNative]

15. Mostly a European thing

though Euro models in the US import the technology and some of the other car manufacturers are doing the same.

[Siwsan]

16. Ah. Thanks. That would TOTALLY freak me out

Although it's something I'll likely never experience. I'd be content if my Saturn is the last car I ever own. Even though it's a 2002, it only has about 96,000 miles on it.

[Quackers]

31. I have a 2018 Chevy Cruze

It does this. But it’s only for two minutes max and only if climate control (AC) is not on or if the cabin temperature has been met already. Also, the Cruze was built in Ohio.

[maxsolomon]

21. You're not a troll, but you're wrong.

Saying "you just want attention" has been used to dismiss protestors for decades, and it is just as often leveled at misbehaving children.

Maybe you should publish a list of acceptable protest tactics. There's plenty of Conservatives that would be willing to pitch in.

[Denzil_DC]

38. Well, first on my list of acceptable protest tactics wouldn't be

disrupting those who're already using a mode of transport that is at least part of the solution to what I'm protesting about.

[Princess Turandot]

3. Here's a video of the 'event'. The ticked off commuters are seen in the 2nd one..

Link to tweet

[evertonfc]

4. childish

These people hurt the cause. You mess with people trying to get to work you deserve the horn.

[groundloop]

6. I don't believe pissing off people whom you're trying to convince is a good plan

Blocking access to government buildings will get just as much attention and not piss off the populace.

Keeping folks from getting to where they need to go isn't going to get anyone to come around to your point of view.

[knightmaar]

7. Aren't the people using public transport on the good side here?

Why not go blockade the people driving SUVs around or whatever the equivalent stupidity is in the UK?

[OnlinePoker]

9. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, they were blocking cyclists from crossing the bridge

One woman told a cyclist "you had all week to save up bus fare" and called her lazy and wanting an excuse to be late for work. It made absolutely no sense.

[Denzil_DC]

36. They are.

This was stupid and misguided, as we've had some spokes for ER stating on the UK news.

Extended use of public transport is the only sustainable future, especially in our large conurbations, unless we're going to go back to extremely primitive lifestyles.

Obstructing and delaying those who use it - whatever they do in their jobs once they get there - is completely counterproductive and a waste of time and effort.

[Initech]

10. Man these assholes are the same no matter what country they are from!

[2naSalit]

11. Have they been infiltrated yet?

Nearly every appropriate protest organization gets infiltrated by the opposition who work from the inside to derail them.


Just sayin, I mean, look what has happened to our government.

[nycbos]

13. Preventing people from getting to work isn't going to help the fight against climate change.

And you are absolutely right. Mass transit is essential for the future.

[OnlinePoker]

17. Article from earlier this year says pollution in tube 30 times higher than by busy roads

Report sparks concerns over poor air quality on London Underground

Fresh concerns over air quality on the London Underground have been raised after researchers found that the concentration of particulate pollution in tube stations was up to 30 times higher than beside busy roads in the capital.

Air pollution experts have called for more analysis of the possible harmful effects of the underground’s particulates.

In a report, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) warned Transport for London (TfL): “Given that there is strong evidence that both long- and short-term exposure to particle pollutants in ambient air are harmful to health, it is likely that there is some health risk.”

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/jan/09/london-underground-air-pollution-report-concerns-northern-line-particulates

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. That is not, however, anything to do with climate change, and thus not Extinction Rebellion

It's about metallic particulates, which affect human Underground users, but not the general environment.

The committee said further investigation was required into the toxicity of the dust breathed in by tube passengers, which is heavier and more metal-based than the smaller, carbon-based particles in the air above ground.

However, Prof Frank Kelly, chair of COMEAP, said people should continue to use the tube given the relatively short time spent underground and lack of evidence of harmful effects.

[jmowreader]

18. Is the KGB running Extinction Revolution?

This sounds like a Trump-Putin plot to discredit all climate change activists.

[maxsolomon]

22. the KGB doesn't exist.

You mean the FSB.

[jmowreader]

35. I use the term KGB because everyone knows what the KGB was

Also, KGB and FSB are effectively the same agency.

[Renew Deal]

19. lol

Don't mess with the morning rush.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

34. Wrong. Series. Don't mess with the evening rush.

Don't stand between me and the bar car.

[The Liberal Lion]

20. To effect change one must be willing to upset the established order

however, when the established order is upset those trained to serve and deeply conditioned in the status quo will roar to action when blocked from carrying out their servitude to said status quo. In that I admire the courage of these activist. Courage is something completely lacking these days.

We all say we want change and a better world, but few of us are willing to stand up for it and face the anger of the sheep.

[maxsolomon]

23. For a few of us, at least, our work is our effort to make a better world.

No one likes to have their commute extended.

[Renew Deal]

27. That's nice

But maybe people just want to go to work. Baaaaa

[Igel]

46. One source I read pointed out a contradiction in perception.

They targeted underground stops near Canary Wharf.

The stations they targeted mostly served working class employees.

They targeted the station in the early part of rush hour. When people working low-paying jobs tend to be rushing to work, to make money to pay their mortgages, rent, and feed their families. The kind of job that pays hourly, so if you miss 3 hours you miss 3/8 of that day's pay. The kind of job where if you're too late, you tend to not have to worry about rush hour for a while because you lose your job.

Canary Wharf folk aren't there at the time the protesters did their thing. Moreover, Canary Wharf folk tend to be wealthier and drive.

[ronnie624]

40. +1

Most of the dingbat denialists will be in the streets too, shutting shit down, before our corrupted political system stirs itself to action. Unfortunately, it might be too late by that time.

[Politicub]

25. Were they protesting people taking mass transit?

I'm not so sure they take global warming seriously.

Stopping trains when people just want to get to work, school or home makes no sense. Besides, using mass transit is a positive way to help combat climate change. This organization is driving people away.

I think they're so affected by their own presence that they aren't able to think clearly about effective protests.

Because if they did, they would conduct activities to attract people to the cause.

[C_U_L8R]

26. Mass transit is part of the solution.

They're clearly protesting against the wrong people.

[eissa]

28. Moronic

While we here in the States are trying to establish better public transit systems, as we are decades behind other developed nations, these idiots are trying to stop people from using their mass transit. Would they prefer they drive instead?

[dustyscamp]

30. dumb

[Scurrilous]

37. Tube boobs!

[Baclava]

45. Yeah, really dumb, shutting down mass transportation? so they want everyone to drive cars instead?

Completely idiotic, couldn't find a better way to piss off more people? Lol