Video Information
On September 3, 2023, Washington-based digital news channel, The Hill, televised a 13-minute segment reporting on several incidents where either motorists or police forcibly removed climate protesters blocking roadways. The two news commentators debate the ethics of these actions and the effectiveness of the protests.
On January 7, 2023, DW Planet A (a climate news program produced by German news broadcast agency Deutsche Welle) televised a 12-minute segment titled 'We need to talk about radical climate protests.' The segment shows a series of radical protests, public reaction, the justifications of the activists, and expert opinion from sociologists and social historians suggesting the probable effect of these protests.
On October 25, 2022, Euro News televised Just Stop Oil spokesperson Alex De Koning explaining why the activist group is taking radical, disruptive action to alert to the climate crisis.
On May 23, 2023, NBC News televised footage showing members of Italy's climate action group, Last Generation, pouring black liquid into Rome's Trevi Fountain in protest over Italy's claimed inaction on climate change.
On June 21, 2023, 7News televised a 2-minute report showing motorists forcibly removing climate activists who were blocking a Brisbane motorway.
On May 15, 2023, 7News televised a 25-minute segment after a New South Wales magistrate overturned jail sentences previously imposed on two Australian climate activists for blocking traffic on the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2022. Some of the claims made by police about the incident were found to be false.
On August 30, 2023, Daily Mail televised an 11-minute segment showing angry motorists screaming at climate activists blocking a Washington DC roadway. Police are later shown removing the activists.
On April 22, 2023, Sky News televised its regular The Climate Show with Tom Heap. Heap interviews climate activists protesting during the London Marathon weekend and some Londoners opposed to their actions. Heap also interviews Andreas Malm a Swedish academic who is the author of the book, 'How to Blowup a Pipeline'. Malm sanctions violence against infrastructure that inflicts environmental damage and harms people.
On October 29, 2022, Insider News televised a 3-minute segment showing climate protesters throwing food at famous paintings and other famous exhibits as well as gluing themselves to streets. Some protesters are shown explaining their actions.
On May 10, 2023, The Guardian televised a mini documentary examining the history, actions and intentions of Just Stop Oil.
On April 18, 2023, Sky News televised a discussion of the ethics and effectiveness of Just Stop Oil's disruption of the World Snooker Championships. Piers Morgan and two other commentators took part.
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Climate crisis: Do radical climate activists benefit their cause?
- Web links, documents and video clips
On December 22, 2023, The Guardian published an opinion piece by Owen Jones titled '2023 was the year governments looked at the climate crisis - and decided to persecute the activists'. Jones argues that governments have deliberately demonised and prosecuted climate activists to remove the pressure on them to address climate change.
The full text of this comment can be accessed at 
On December 22, 2023, BBC News published a report titled 'Prevent: Rise in climate activists referred to anti-terror scheme' The report details the increasing number of climate change activists being referred to an anti-terrorist re-education program.
The full text of this article can be accessed at
On December 12, 2023, Waging Nonviolence published an analysis by Sam Light titled 'The method behind Just Stop Oil's madness'. The article examines some of the group's most recent protest actions and suggests the rationale for them.
The full text can be accessed at The method behind Just Stop Oil's annoying madness | Waging Nonviolence
On November 9, 2023, Le Monde published a news report titled 'Top French court overturns ban on radical climate activist group'. The article details the ruling of the French Council of State against charges brought against the climate activist group Les Soulèvements de la Terre (SLT) for supposedly having incited violence.
The full text of the article can be accessed at
On October 17, 2023, Green European Journal published a comment and analysis by Stella Levantesi, an Italian climate journalist, photographer, and author. The article is titled '"Enemies of Society": How the Media Portray Climate Activists'. Levantesi examines the way in which the media negatively presents climate activists and argues that it is part of a deliberate attempt to discredit them.
The full text of the article can be accessed at
On October 12, 2023, The Guardian published a report titled 'Human rights experts warn against European crackdown on climate protesters'. The article details the actions being taken by British and European governments to curtail the activities of radical climate activities. It also gives the opinions of several human rights experts.
The full text can be accessed at
On October 12, 2023, The Guardian published a report titled 'How criminalisation is being used to silence climate activists across the world'. The report details the way in which governments are drafting new laws to criminalise, fine and arrest climate activists.
The full text can be found at
On October 2, 2023, The Choate News published an opinion piece by Steven Kee titled 'The Hypocritical Vandalism of Radical Climate Activism'. The comment argues that climate activists are taking destructive actions unrelated to their cause and are alienating potential supporters.
The full text can be accessed at
On September 29, 2023, Yes! published a comment and analysis by author and academic Chuck Collins titled 'The Radicalization of Climate Activism', in which he describes and explains the growing radicalisation of international climate activism.
The full text can be accessed at
On September 23, 2023, WNYC Studios broadcast a podcast titled 'The Powerful Think Tanks Portraying Climate Protest as Dangerous'. Produced by Amy Westervelt, the report details the work of think tanks around the world to criminalise climate protest.
The podcast can be accessed at
On September 23, 2023, The Guardian published a profile of a prominent young climate activist whose climate anxiety led him to attempt suicide and who now advocates for a more diverse and mutually supportive form of activism. The profile is titled 'The climate is visiting a mental unravelling on all of us': Charlie Hertzog Young on the dangers of activism - and staying sane on a dying planet'.
The full text can be accessed at
On September 8, 2023, Earth.Org published a comment by political scientist and researcher Alexander Pham. The opinion piece is titled 'Are Climate Activists Reaching Too Far?' Phan argues that the recent radical climate activism is poorly targeted and likely to be ither ineffective or counterproductive.
The full text can be accessed at
On September 4, 2023, Forbes published a comment by Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash. Both are professors in Sustainability Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle. Their opinion piece is titled 'Vandalizing Museums, Disrupting The Burning Man, And Climate Activism'. They argue that radical climate activists, especially those who target art works, are unlikely to shift either governments or popular opinion toward supporting their views on climate action.
The full text of the comment can be accessed at
On August 14, 2023, Clean Energy Wire published a news report titled 'Fridays for Future criticise radical tactics of Last Generation climate activists' detailing the criticisms being made by the leader of the more moderate climate protesters. She argues that these more extreme actions may lose support.
The full text can be accessed at
On May 4, 2023, The Conversation published a comment by Andrew Matthew Macdonald, a PhD candidate at the University of York whose topic is the effectiveness of youth climate activism. The opinion piece is titled 'Climate change protest: a single radical gets more media coverage than thousands of marchers'. Macdonald explains the reasons for activists adopting more extreme forms of protest and argues that these demonstrations may become more radical.
The full text of the comment can be accessed at
On May 3, 2023, Politico published a news report titled 'Germany's top Green slams radical climate protesters'. The report details the criticisms that Robert Habeck, Germany's vice chancellor and economy minister (also a prominent supporter of climate action) has made of the disruptive protests staged by Last Generation.
The full text can be accessed at
On April 24, 2023, the London School of Economics published a comment and analysis by Alessio Terzi titled 'The power and limits of radical activism against climate change'.
The article assesses the strengths and limitations of the current radical climate protest movements and places them in an historical context.
The full text can be accessed at
Waging Nonviolence is a nonprofit media organization which aims to provide original reporting and expert analysis of social movements around the world.
On November 18, 2022, The Daily Wildcat published an analysis and comment by Sophie Applin titled 'Is radical climate activism effective?' The article considers whether radical climate activism is an appropriate means of raising community consciousness of climate issues.
The full text can be accessed at
On September 11, 2022, On June 4, 2022, the German news media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) published an analysis by Elizabeth Schumacher titled 'Should 'radical' climate activism be penalized?' The article examines the responses taken by the German government in response to radical climate activists.
The full text can be accessed at
On July 7, 2022, The Conversation published a comment by Rob Jubb, Associate Professor of Political Theory, University of Reading and Alex McLaughlin, Research Associate in Existential Risk, University of Cambridge. The article is titled 'Climate activism has so far been fairly peaceful: here's why that might change'.
The authors argue that worsen climatic and social conditions might lead some climate activists to take more violent action.
The full text can be accessed at
On June 4, 2022, the German news media outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) published an analysis by Alistair Walsh titled 'Disruptive climate protests - do they help or hinder?' The article examines the different types of direction action employed by radical climate activists and considers their relative effectiveness.
The full text can be accessed at
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