Fri 11 Oct 2019
As Extinction Rebellion held protests in cities around Australia this week, Guardian journalists tracked down protesters to find out who they were and why they were taking part in acts of civil disobedience. Here, 11 people who took part in protests in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne explain what motivated them to take to the streets.
“I’m not a serial protester by any means.
“There is just so much clear information that we have to make some pretty big changes and it seems we’ve tried many things – writing letters, and composting and changing our ways. I’ve reduced my flying, I mostly get around by bicycle [and] I’ve changed the way I do business.
“The lifestyle we are enjoying today is going to be at the cost of future generations. We’re not talking in multiple generations, we’re talking the next generation will no doubt lead a more constricted life than we do today.
“[Protesting is] a horrible thing to have to do but I am really not sure what else it is going to take.
If we are polite about things, then people can easily ignore the message.”
As a week of civil disobedience comes to an end, protesters explain the environmental fears that have driven them to action
