Extinction Rebellion activists from Manchester prepare for protests in the capital

Students in Manchester are gearing themselves up for a week of protests as part of Extinction Rebellion’s campaign on the climate emergency.

 This week a Manchester Climate Action meeting was held at the University of Manchester’s Students’ Union in readiness for a global protest next week.

 Manchester Extinction Rebellion activists will head to London alongside protestors from 60 other cities as part of a mass demonstration on Monday.

Extinction Rebellion North held a protest on Deansgate last month which coincided with teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg’s powerful speech about how our climate has reached a tipping point.

The aim of the protest was to highlight issues such as global warming, fracking and rising sea levels.

“We’re leading ourselves towards our own extinction,” said Lizzie Horton from Extinction Rebellion Manchester at the Deansgate protest.

In London, the aim is to rebel against international governments for what activists term a ‘criminal inaction’ over the ongoing climate and ecological crisis.

Manchester protester Zoe Cohen said she felt that until everyone was involved in the movement, society would face more global issues around climate change and the environment.

 “Other media are waking up, some are improving, but there is a long way to go.”

“We need to keep waking people up because there is a lot of misinformation.”

Extinction Rebellion North say on their Facebook page that their plans are to “highlight the ongoing decimation of green spaces and how the North is continuously underfunded and ignored”.

Protests are also being held in Brisbane, New Zealand, Washington DC, New York, Quebec, Cape Town, and Buenos Aires. The worldwide protests are due to continue until 19 October to make a stand on what activists describe as a rising crisis.

For more information on next week’s climate protests, visit the Extinction Rebellion North Facebook page.