A couple from Bristol who spray-painted a Government building in London have said they are ‘using their privilege’ to get arrested in the cause of protesting about the climate emergency.
James and Mary Collett are two of the leading figures within Bristol’s Extinction Rebellion organisation, and have spent the past week or so in the capital as part of the latest London demonstrations.
They were also among the organisers of the week-long protests at Castle Park and Bristol Bridge this summer, and said the backlash to those protests have ‘caused a lot of soul searching’ for the campaigners.
Last week, the couple onto the front of the Department for Transport’s headquarters in Whitehall, in protest at Government policy which is encouraging the expansion of airports, particularly the controversial plans to expand Bristol Airport.
The couple , and have now spoken about why a pair of retired people who ran their own business, chose to get themselves arrested.
The couple, who live in St Andrew’s in Bristol, ran a wood flooring business for many years.
Answering criticism that those getting arrested and causing disruption in London and Bristol are ‘privileged’, the couple said they took that on board and that was one of the reasons they were prepared to get themselves arrested - because they can.
“We feel we have no other option,” said Mrs Collett.
“We ran a very sustainable and green business, our home is ultra-insulated, we drive an electric car, we don’t fly anymore, but governments insist on expanding consumption of fossil fuels, expanding airports and not addressing the climate emergency.
“All the things that we do individually, they are wiped out by this. We feel we’ve got no option but to try and make a difference. We’ve been on so many protests, we march, we write, we petition, but none of it seems to make any difference,” she said. “The Government carries on. They declare a climate emergency, but then don’t take any action.”
She said the couple came to the decision that the next step would be to get arrested ‘quite easily’.
“By being arrested we show the strength of our convictions. It is a conscious decision, but it is one that isn’t difficult to make - what more can we do?” she added.
James and Mary said they were keen to show the perception of Extinction Rebellion protestors as ‘crusties’ or ‘hippies’ is far from the case - they are retired, white and middle class, and had never been arrested before.
“We know lots of people who are not in a position to be arrested, but want to make a stand, and feel the same as we do,” said Mrs Collett.
“Getting arrested is not such an end of the world thing for us. We have to step in on their behalf, we are white, older, and smartly dressed, not too much of a crusty, and we are doing this for the people who can’t get themselves arrested, who would lose too much if they did.
“We are recognising it and using our privilege. If we were young, black men, getting arrested is not a good idea,” she added.
The couple were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, held in cells at Brixton police station for around nine hours and then released under investigation, and were not charged.
They said the police treated them well, and they were back protesting on Monday with Extinction Rebellion, outside the offices of Black Rock, the world’s largest investment management firm, which is said to have trillions of dollars invested in fossil fuel companies.
After their return from London to Bristol, other Bristol activists continued to protest in central London on Tuesday, placing large blocks of letters outside the Tate Modern.
Bristol activists, including Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, also protested in Trafalgar Square, as the Metropolitan Police announced it would be using a special power in the Public Order Act to ban Extinction Rebellion protests in central London, and began clearing various camps and protests in the city.
They ‘force-cleared’ Trafalgar Square, an act which included cutting people out of tents after they locked themselves together, and other Extinction Rebellion camps around London. On Tuesday afternoon, Extinction Rebellion lawyers began legal proceedings to challenge the police’s ban.
“We are appalled by the effective banning of XR protests - it is as if we were living in a police state,” said Mr Collett.
“A fortnight of peaceful protesting which highlights the government’s inaction on climate change, although sadly it does inconvenience businesses and commuters, is no reason for a city wide ban on protest.
“We have a right to protest peacefully and the police and government seem to be trying to outlaw this. Our country is renowned for freedom of speech and there seems to be a move to curtail this freedom.
“It is an unnecessarily draconian decision which is an extremely worrying move,” he added.
Mrs Collett said that, following huge controversy during , there had been a change of heart among the leadership of the movement.
“After that week, there was a lot of soul-searching,” said Mrs Collett. “We heard that a lot of people were upset and within Extinction Rebellion there were as well.
“As a movement, we should not be targeting or disrupting normal, working people, we need to target people at the top of the food chain, and there was a re-focusing of strategy for Extinction Rebellion, hence why we were at Black Rock and at the Department for Transport, which is so hypocritical in declaring a climate emergency but supporting the expansion of places like Bristol Airport,” she added.
“We have to do our best to point out the ridiculousness of that stance,” she added.
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