Road-blocking climate protesters resume campaign in London

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

LONDON (AP) — Environmental protesters pressuring the British government to insulate all homes within a decade resumed a road-blocking campaign in London on Monday ahead of the United Nations’ annual climate conference.

As commuters headed to work, demonstrators from the Insulate Britain campaign obstructed a major artery into Canary Wharf, a major financial center in east London that is home to some of the world’s biggest banks. Other roads into the British capital’s traditional financial center, the City of London, which is a few miles west of Canary Wharf, were also blocked.

The Metropolitan Police force said 52 people were arrested in connection with Monday’s protests, during which some demonstrators glued themselves to the roads.

On Oct. 14, Insulate Britain paused its organized blocking of many major roads that had caused traffic misery for drivers in and around London.



Protesters from the Insulate Britain campaign block a road near Canary Wharf in east London, Monday, Oct. 25, 2021. Environmental protesters pressuring the British government to insulate all homes within a decade have resumed a road-blocking campaign in London ahead of the United Nations’ annual climate conference. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/climate-lifestyle-business-united-nations-europe-6ccaf3a0728eec49ed6f353395c6dd48

[brooklynite]

1. Pissing off ordinary voters is never a way to build support for your cause...

...especially when your tactic (blocking traffic) has nothing to do with your goal (home insulation).

Link to tweet

?s=20

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Laudable goal, in fact a really good idea for a northern clime country, but

this is no way to lobby. Banners, protests at legislators, marketing energy savings to households. Tying up traffic and wasting consumers' gas (sorry, UK, petrol) is counterproductive.

[cab67]

7. You're not wrong, but....

....blocking traffic is one of the least effective, and least intelligent, forms of protest.

It's indiscriminate and pisses everyone off, including those sympathetic to one's cause.

It can also bring a lot of negative attention to the protesters that detracts from the message. The couple of times the interstate was shut down by protesters in my community, people ignored the cause and instead pointed to the ambulances that couldn't reach their destinations, to people trying to visit loved ones in hospitals, to those who didn't get a job because a flight to an interview was missed, and so on. Not to mention the protesters who almost got hit, not because the driver was trying to deliberately ram the protester, but because the driver crested a hill without knowing there were people on the freeway on the other side, giving the driver very little time to react.

That's all anyone talked about.

[ripcord]

4. These protests are incredibly frustrating for truck drivers

If you aren't moving you aren't earning.

[NurseJackie]

5. It's always helpful to alienate allies...

... I'm reminded of an obnoxious and unnecessary "sit-in" at Nancy Pelosi's office (apparently the organizer/s thought that Nancy Pelosi was their enemy and an aged doddering do-nothing politician.)

[Steelrolled]

6. Lack of imagination on the part of the protestors.

Bart Simpson blamed his lack of imagination on TV. I suppose now it is blamed on social media.