Perspective - Perspettiva: XR

One of my childhood memories in Malta was the mind-blowing love shown by many aficionados on the various versions of the Ford Escort car. Many are (or at least were) such vehicles still going round the roads, all shiny and their stereo booming, changing hands after being announced on the buying and selling pages of the newspapers, especially the first models Mark I, Mark II and Mark III, the latter also known as XR3.

Nevertheless I’ll be disappointing some readers of this column who are also keen on cars, as it’s not on four wheeled vehicles I’ll be talking today.

XR is a short reference to a distinctive international movement of ordinary people, called Extinction Rebellion, which was set up a year ago almost on the day (31st October 2018) in London. This uses civil disobedience and non-violence to try and stop mass extinctions and minimise the risk of social collapse.1

The words ‘extinction’ and ‘emergency’ are used often by the group to convey a sense of urgency about the current situation and the storms, both metaphorical and literal being faced by our planet and its ecosystem. These include the reduction in biodiversity with currently the highest rate of loss of species since the time of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago,2 climate change with is leading to a rise in sea levels, desertification, an increase in wildfires, lack of water, the failure of crop land and the increase of climate extremes.

They foresee that these will lead to millions of people being displaced, and increase of illness, a higher risk of conflict and wars as well as impacts on human rights.3

The group remarks that the conventional systems such as voting (read democracy), lobbying of members of parliament, petitions and protests have utterly failed, due to strong political and economic interests. Therefore, the group strategy is that of civil disobedience, carried out non-violently but aiming to interrupt and disrupt, and so be well felt. In other words, a rebellion.4

This strategy in principle is not so different to industrial action known as the strike. In this, worker organisations known as trade unions, if having a dispute with an employer, generally (though not always) regarding working conditions and for an excessive period of time, can issue a directive which in some way affects the normal operations of the enterprise. It can for example order that workers work slowly (go-slow), only carry out strictly what they were employed to do (work to rule), stop working and remain in the work building (sit-in strike), or simply leave (strike). The actions are generally legal and protected if carried out under strict conditions prescribed by law.5

Industrial actions of this type have led to wholesale changes to the dynamic between the employer (powerful) and workers (weak), with general improvements in health and safety at work, wages and salaries, the introduction of paid leave, for vacation or periods of sickness etc etc. These actions disrupt the operations of the enterprise concerned, without a shadow of doubt, and the effects include the enterprise functioning less efficiently or not at all, can lose customers, lose money, might even have an effect on the country’s economy. Finally, one cannot forget that workers undertaking such action in some cases also have their own pay packet impacted.

These kinds of actions involve many sacrifices for a lot of people, and therefore one would expect they are undertaken only in extreme or desperate situations. One expects and notes that generally the owner or person in power would do everything they can for the action not to be undertaken or to limit the effect it might have.

Coming back to XR and the context of an ecological and environmental emergency, we can not the types of civil disobedience that is being undertaken. In various part of Australia, participants have blocked traffic at crossroads, glued themselves to a bridge or the road, tied themselves to concrete objects, stripped to their underwear or beyond and marched to the city centre etc.

Many participants were arrested by police, some ordered not to move to the city centre (until the order was over-ruled by a court). Activists were criticised by members of the Australian Government, such as Minister Peter Dutton who grumbled that these were not interested in Australians that simply wanted to go to work, run their businesses and not be interfered with in any way. He also said he hoped there would be more arrests and that they should be slapped with the costs of police resources. The state governments of Victoria and Queensland were also very critical.6

Naturally this disruption and inconvenience is happening, clearly. It is also the whole point of the action – to create disruption, as nowhere have I heard those in authority deal with, or show the slightest interest, in the problem being espoused by XR activists, also being reported with urgency by environmental scholars.

XR aims to have the support of 3.5% of the population in all countries, as it believes this is sufficient to result in the necessary changes. So help them God.

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Waħda mit-tifkiriet tiegħi minn tfuliti f’Malta kienet il-ġenn muri minn ħafna dilettanti fuq il-verżjonijiet differenti tal-karozza Ford Escort. Ħafna huma dawk il-vetturi li għadhom (jew talinqas kienu) iduru t-toroq, ileqqu sbieħ bl-isterjo ifajjar bumm-bumm-bumm, u jibdlu l-idejn wara li jinġiebu fil-paġni tax-xiri u bejgħ tal-karozzi fuq il-gazzetti, speċjalment l-ewwel mudelli Mark I, Mark II u Mark III, tal-aħħar ukoll magħrufa bħala XR3.

Madankollu se niddiżappunta lill-qarrejja ta’ din il-kolonna li huma wkoll dilettanti tal-karozzi, għax mhux fuq vetturi ta’ erba’ roti se nitkellem illum.

XR hija riferenza qasira u distintiva ta’ moviment internazzjonali ta’ nies ordinarji, imsejjaħ Extinction Rebellion (Irvell dwar l-Estinzjoni), li twaqqaf bħal-lum sena (fil-31 ta’ Ottubru 2018) f’Londra. Dan juża d-diżubbidjenza ċivili u non-vjolenti biex jipprova jwaqqaf l-estinzjoni tal-massa u jimminimizza r-riskju ta’ kollass soċjali.1

Il-kliem ‘estinzjoni’ u ‘emerġenza’ huma kliem li jintużaw spiss mill-grupp biex iwasslu sens ta’ urġenza dwar is-sitwazzjoni preżenti u l-irwiefen, kemm metaforiċi kif ukoll litterali, li qed tiffaċċja l-pjaneta tagħna u ekosistema li taħdem fuqha. Dawn jinkludu t-tnaqqis ta’ biodiversità bl-iktar rata għolja ta’ telf ta’ speċi miż-żmien tad-dinosawri 65 miljun sena ilu,2 it-tibdil tal-klima li qed iwassal għal żieda fl-għoli tal-livell tal-baħar, id-deżertifikazzjoni, iż-żieda ta’ nirien mingħajr kontroll, nuqqas ta’ ilma, il-falliment tal-uċuħ tar-raba’ u ż-żieda ta’ klima estrema.

Jipprevedu li dawn se jwasslu għal miljuni ta’ nies li jinqalgħu minn darhom, żieda fil-mard, riskju akbar ta’ kunflitti u gwerer u impatti fuq id-drittijiet tal-bniedem.3

Il-grupp jirrimarka li s-sistemi konvenzjonali tal-votazzjoni (id-demokrazija), konvinċiment tal-membri tal-parlament, petizzjonijiet u protesti fallew għal kollox, minħabba interessi qawwija politiċi u ekonomiċi. Għalhekk, l-istrateġija tal-grupp hija d-diżubbidjenza ċivili, li ssir b’mod non-vjolenti iżda li tisfratta u tfixkel, u għalhekk tinħass sew. Fi kliem ieħor, irvell.4

Din l-istrateġija fil-prinċipju mhix daqstant differenti mill-azzjoni fid-dinja industrijali magħrufa tal-istrajk. Fiha, organizzazzjoni ta’ ħaddiema magħrufa bħala trejd unjin, jekk ikollha ġlieda ma’ min iħaddem, ġeneralment (imma mhux biss) fuq kundizzjonijiet ta’ xogħol u għal tul żejjed ta’ żmien, tista’ toħroġ direttiva li b’xi mod taffettwa l-operat normali ta’ impriża. Tista’ per eżempju tordna li l-ħaddiema jaħdmu bil-mod (go slow), jagħmlu biss strettament dak li imħallsin għalih (work to rule), jieqfu jaħdmu u jibqgħu fil-post (sit-in strike), jew li jitilqu ‘l barra. L-azzjonijiet ġeneralment ikunu legali u protetti jekk isiru taħt kundizzjonijiet stretti preskritti bil-liġi.5

Azzjonijiet industrijali ta’ dan it-tip wasslu għal bidliet kbar fid-dinamika bejn is-sid (b’saħħtu) u l-ħaddiema (dgħajfa), b’titjib tas-saħħa u s-sigurtà fuq il-post tax-xogħol, titjib fil-pagi u s-salarji, l-introduzzjoni tal-lif imħallas, kemm għall-konvenjenza jew btala, kif ukoll għall-perjodi ta’ mard eċċ eċċ. Dawn l-azzjonijiet bla dubju jfixklu l-operat tal-impriżi involuti, u l-effetti jinkludu li l-impriża taħdem inqas effiċjenti jew tieqaf għal kollox, tista’ titlef il-klijenti, titlef il-flus, jista’ jkun hemm effett fuq l-ekonomija tal-pajjiż eċċ. Finalment, wieħed ma jridx jinsa li l-ħaddiema li jkunu qiegħdin jagħmlu l-azzjoni f’xi każijiet ikollhom impatt fuq il-paga tagħhom.

Azzjoni ta’ dan it-tip tinvolvi sagrifiċċji għal ħafna nies, u għaldaqstant wieħed jistenna li azzjonijiet simili jittieħdu biss f’sitwazzjoni estrema jew ta’ disperazzjoni. Wieħed jistenna u jinnota wkoll li ġeneralment min ikun is-sid jew fil-poter jagħmel minn kollox biex l-azzjoni ma titteħidx jew li jkun limitat l-effett tagħha.

Jekk niġu lura għal XR u l-kuntest ta’ emerġenza ekoloġika u ambjentali, nistgħu ninnotaw x’tip ta’ diżubbidjenza ċivili li qed issir. F’diversi partijiet tal-Awstralja, parteċipanti bblukkaw it-traffiku fi slaleb it-toroq, inkullaw lilhom infushom ma’ pont jew mal-art ta’ triq, rabtu lilhom infushom ma’ oġġetti tal-konkrit, neżgħu sal-ħwejjeġ ta’ taħt jew iktar u mmarċjaw fil-belt eċċ.

Ħafna parteċipanti ġew arrestati mill-pulizija, uħud ġew ordnati ma jerġgħux jersqu lejn iċ-ċentru tal-belt (qabel din l-ordni ġiet imwarrba mill-qorti). L-attivisti ġew ikkritikati minn membri tal-gvern Awstralja, bħall-Ministru Peter Dutton li gerger li dawn ma jinteressahomx mill-Awstraljani li sempliċement iridu jmorru għax-xogħol, iħaddmu l-impriżi tagħhom u ma jkunux imfixkla. Qal ukoll li jispera li jkun hemm iktar arrestati, u li għandhom jitwaħħlu bl-ispejjeż tar-riżorsi tal-pulizija. Il-gvernijiet statali ta’ Victoria u Queensland ukoll kienu kritiċi ħafna.6

Naturalment dan it-tfixkil u l-inkonvenjent qiegħed isir, dan huwa ċar. Huwa wkoll il-punt tal-azzjoni – li jsir it-tfixkil, għax imkien ma smajt b’dawn in-nies fl-awtorità jittrattaw, jew juru l-inqas nitfa ta’ interess, fil-problema li jaraw l-attivisti tal-XR, u li qed jiġu rrappurtati b’urġenza mill-istudjużi fl-oqsma ambjentali.

L-XR timmira li jkollha appoġġ ta’ 3.5% tal-popolazzjoni ta’ kull pajjiż, li tgħid li hu biżżejjed biex titwettaq il-bidla neċessarja. Minn fommhom għal Alla.

1https://rebellion.earth/the-truth/about-us/, retrieved 13/10/2019

2https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/biodiversity/elements_of_biodiversity/extinction_crisis/, retrieved 13/10/2019

3https://rebellion.earth/the-truth/the-emergency/, retrieved 13/10/2019

4https://rebellion.earth/act-now/, retrieved 13/10/2019