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Extinction Rebellion Belgium is launching a wave of civic mobilisation called Our Future, Our Choices! which will build up across Belgium from June 15th and will conclude on June 27th with a big civil disobedience action in Brussels.

"We are calling on the population in Belgium to disrupt business-as-usual by occupying public spaces, and express their vision of how society should change in order to overcome the current crisis", says Leen, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Belgium.

All actions will be carried out while strictly respecting safety measures, with participants wearing masks and maintaining physical distance, as required by current health regulations.

“This is a time to take stock of what our society is made of, and to decide on what to keep, and what to give up on. On the one side, essential components that truly contribute to the quality of our lives; on the other, everything that is superfluous, unjust, toxic, anything that threatens our children's future, like racism, the fossil fuel industry, income inequality and industrial agriculture.“, says Leen, spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion Belgium.

With Our Future, Our Choices, Extinction Rebellion calls upon everyone to stop and think instead of rushing "back to normal”. People are invited to reflect upon what they consider relevant choices for the future, and to write them down on cardboard signs: on the red side, what should be abandoned, on the green side, what deserves to be preserved.

From June 15th, and with increasing intensity, physical and digital spaces for free speech will be created across Belgium. The aim is to address public authorities, economic institutions, and civil society, and trigger conversations between citizens. Everyone - regardless of income, age, origin, job, languages or education - is invited to debate on the decisions we need to make together.

On the 27th of June everyone is invited to come to the city centre of Brussels to hold their red an green signs while standing still at various locations in the pedestrian zone. These actions, whether in front of a bank's headquarters, at Bourse or in the middle of the street, will disrupt the multiple flows of 'business as usual'; consumerism, finance, political decisions, transports, pollution, advertising and exploitation. The day of action will end in front of the Finance Tower at Botanique where all participants will come together.

“Covid-19 is not an isolated phenomenon. Virologists, economists, and climatologists warn that many other crises will follow, perhaps even worse ones. As lockdown ends, we are at a pivotal moment: economic, social and environmental choices made today will determine in which direction our society will grow. If we give ourselves the means to make brave choices fairly, it is still possible to transition into fair and dignified living conditions for all.”, explains the spokesperson.

“Entire sectors of our economy are directly responsible for destroying the ecosystems on which we depend. Is it wise to help these sectors recover? What activities, public services, and jobs should we support and promote? What choices will make us stronger together to face future crises, leaving no one behind? Our governments must pose these questions and allow the people to gather in citizens’ assemblies and come forward with the answers”, concludes Leen.

All the actions will be carried out while wearing masks and respecting the physical distances required by current health regulations, while strongly promoting social cohesion.

The exact times and locations of the "freeze" actions will be published in due time.

press release in German : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gVVnyCMzZ3-fRMUj1z4JPFUZ-LBnqNgR4diNLZo2ywQ/edit?usp=sharing

More information:

FR: Pauline +32 476 35 25 38, César +32 473 76 89 82

NL: Leen +32 486 37 73 23, Bo +32 497 15 70 72, Seba +32 472 58 14 48​​​​​​​

EN: Valerio +32 493 81 38 36

DE: Tobias +32 486 88 31 37

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