Extinction Rebellion starts new series of actions
The current Covid-19 pandemic has its roots in global ecological destruction and the most vulnerable in our society carry the heaviest burden. Therefore, Extinction Rebellion Belgium (XR) enters a new series of actions to push for a just and full recovery from this crisis.
Today, April 14 at 10:30, Extinction Rebellion Belgium will publish a fictional video speech by Prime Minister Sophie Wilmès on its online channels. In this groundbreaking speech our PM will acknowledge that the current pandemic and the climate and ecological crisis has combined origins and needs integrated, just solutions. We will hear her introduce a fundamental democratic renewal: political decision-making power to design such a recovery plan will be handed over to a Citizens' Assembly.
Under embargo till 10:30, the video speech can be found here.
"Almost five hundred Belgian rebels are ready in our Social Media Swarm to make this speech reach wide audiences", says Lyllou, one of the spokespersons of Extinction Rebellion Belgium. She explains the goal of this first action by XR under confinement measures:
"With this speech, we aim to expand our common imagination. It will show what it would look like if our governments would live up to XR’s first out of three demands, namely to Tell the Truth to the nation about the state of climate and ecological emergency we are in."
This morning Sophie Wilmès received the written text as a ready-to-go suggestion to hold the speech that we expect from them. Also her colleagues Jan Jambon, Elio di Rupo, and Rudi Vervoort and the different Belgian political party leaders and ministers were contacted in the same way. Now it is up to these political leaders to take their responsibility to hold this speech.
This first action sets the stage for more actions to come over the coming days and weeks. These will take place digitally and ultimately extend into streets, while adhering to public health regulations.
As a reminder, Extinction Rebellion is a global movement that believes it is a citizen's duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government. Time has almost entirely run out to address the ecological crisis which is upon us, including the 6th mass species extinction, global pollution, and abrupt, runaway climate change.
Extinction Rebellion's key demands are:
- that the Government tells the truth and declares a Climate and Ecological Emergency, recognising the need for rapid transformation of our economic system.
- that the Government enacts a comprehensive, legally-binding National Emergency Plan which phases out the extraction and import of fossil fuels by 2025, and prioritises restoration of biodiversity and the preservation of our natural environment.
- a Citizens' Assembly, equipping our regions and communities with the resources and the authority to ensure a managed transition to an equitable post-growth society.
Follow the launch of the speech on our online channels:
Website: https://www.extinctionrebellion.be/en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExtinctionRebellionBE/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/XR_Belgium
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/xrbelgium/
Find the full text of the speech here with its respective scientific footnotes to backup all factual claims. https://www.extinctionrebellion.be/en/tell-the-truth
For more information, contact our press spokespersons:
[NL/EN] Jolien +32 485 42 80 61
[FR/EN] Lyllou +32 471 29 66 90