Climate crisis:
Do radical climate activists benefit their cause?
Video clip at right: On December 9, 2023, 7News televised a report on the final day of a 4-day protest in Melbourne by climate activist group Extinction Rebellion which ended with the arrest of 70 of its members.
The Issue at a Glance
What they said...'If you haven't got millions of eyeballs, you're not in the ballpark of achieving significant societal change.'
Just Stop Oil spokesperson James Skeet
'I feel like even talking about it is giving them airtime they don't deserve because they are just idiots.'
A competitor in the Snooker World Championships, commenting on the disruption caused by Just Stop Oil protesters
On December 22, 2023, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) published a news report claiming a growing number of climate activists in Britain had been referred to an anti-terrorist education program, Prevent.
This is a multi-agency body, involving police and others, intended to prevent potential terrorists 'slipping into criminal activity'. This report has been seen by many as an indication of Britain's serious over-reaction to radical climate activists. Others have seen it as a condemnation of these activists and the disruptive protests they have staged.
The effectiveness of radical protests against the growing climate emergency is a question that is being debated around the world, including in Australia, Britain, Europe, and the United States. How governments and the public should respond to these activists is also being discussed.