Please help XR Cambridge arrestees

by Extinction Rebellion Cambridge

Please help XR Cambridge arrestees

by Extinction Rebellion Cambridge
Extinction Rebellion Cambridge
Case Owner
This is an XR Cambridge crowdfunder to raise money for travel expenses and solicitors’ fees incurred from arrests as part of XR actions.
Funded
on 27th August 2019
£8,833
pledged of £10,000 stretch target from 149 pledges
Extinction Rebellion Cambridge
Case Owner
This is an XR Cambridge crowdfunder to raise money for travel expenses and solicitors’ fees incurred from arrests as part of XR actions.

Latest: Oct. 27, 2019

Thank you from one of our Cambridge XR arrestees

Getting arrested was an experience characterised by a huge range of mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was proud to be standing up for a cause I care hugely about in the most effective way possible i…

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Who are we?

We are Extinction Rebellion Cambridge, and we’re people like you, your family, your friends and colleagues. We’re people old and young, male and female. Many of us are parents and grandparents, deeply concerned about what sort of planet is going to be left for our children and our children’s children if we don’t all act now, and act together.

Our Case

The evidence for an Ecological and Climate Emergency is undeniable. For 30 years, scientists have been telling governments that climate change will kill us.

They ignored this advice and continued to invest in fossil fuels, allowing global warming to increase at an unprecedented rate. The Earth that we rely on for survival is under threat, and our government is failing in their duty to protect us, our families and generations to come.

Through peaceful protests we have been trying to raise public awareness and make the government see that they must start telling the truth and take immediate action on global warming. The decision to protest has not been taken lightly nor has it been without personal cost. We have taken this step only because every other means has been tried and has failed. On 22nd August 2019, discussing the April 2019 protests in London, John McDonnell, Shadow Chancellor said “the activists successfully raised the profile of the climate threat and focused the minds of us all on the radical action that is needed”.

While these April protests led directly to MPs debating a formal climate and environment emergency, some of the personal costs of protesting have become financial costs, as some of our rebels have been arrested and summoned to court for their non-violent act of civil disobedience. 

Some people will be able to bear the costs arising from the legal process themselves, but for many this is not possible, and we need to help them.

We have no way of knowing how much these might amount to yet, but we have estimated an initial figure of £10,000, which might need to be increased as more of us are charged. If we raise more money than is needed to cover travel costs and solicitors’ fees, the additional funds might go some way towards covering potential financial penalties levied by the courts or be used for future legal expenses.

We need your support to raise these funds. Please contribute what you can now and then share this page with your friends, family and on social media.

Love and gratitude.


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Update 1

Extinction Rebellion Cambridge

Oct. 27, 2019

Thank you from one of our Cambridge XR arrestees

Getting arrested was an experience characterised by a huge range of mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was proud to be standing up for a cause I care hugely about in the most effective way possible in my circumstances (i.e. privileged student!). I felt buoyed by the positivity of the crowd on Waterloo Bridge (where I was arrested), and incredibly supported both by friends and legal observers / arrest support members of the XR team. On the other hand, I was nervous, confused about exactly what the charge was that I was under arrest for, and worried that my mum would be upset when she found out! However, on balance, the positive emotions greatly trumped the negative ones. I study politics at Cambridge university, and I feel it is incredibly important to not only study, but DO politics; show passion for what you care for, and engage in the world, not just the library. I plan to go into work in the area of refugee solidarity and rights, and I feel that the climate crisis will exacerbate refugee crises around the world as more and more climate refugees will have to leave behind their lives to seek shelter and safety. Already, bodies like the EU have shown unwillingness to provide help for refugees seeking asylum on this continent, so I can only imagine how much worse the situation will get as the numbers increase. I felt the only thing I had left to do, after years of signing petitions and going on marches, was to protest as part of the Rebellion.

Since my arrest, I have continued to feel supported by XR, with regular calls, messages and emails checking on my well-being. All I can say is thank you and keep the strength! <3

Tigs Louis-Puttick (Cambridge student from Devon)

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