Letter For Our Future – UK Government: Tell The Truth – Animal Agriculture Causes Pandemics Animal Rebellion delivered the following open letter signed by scientists, animal rights organisations and environmentalists to the UK Government on Tuesday 8th September 2020 Dear Prime Minister, We are writing as a broad coalition to shine a light on animal agriculture as a key driver in the emergence of deadly diseases. We are urging the UK Government and Governments around the world to join together to take integrated action to prevent future zoonotic pandemics. The Covid-19 tragedy has caused untold suffering to millions and future global pandemics, along with the climate emergency, represent public health threats of unprecedented magnitude. Yet, whilst Governments seek to stop[…]
Animal Rebellion is challenging G7 power holders
Every year heads of seven industrialised nations (plus two representatives from the EU, and guest/invited countries), who collectively own over 58% of global net wealth meet at the Group of Seven (G7) conference. They claim their goal is discuss and resolve global challenges. Despite said intentions, 46 years have gone by since the G7 coalition was formed, human economic activities led by G7 countries have degraded the Earth`s ecosystems pushing through some of the Planetary boundaries and set off the Climate and Ecological Emergency. The truth which G7 leaders avoid is that they are failing to fulfill their assigned role to protect lives and planetary health for generations to come. This includes the G7 Food Security Working Group’s failure to[…]
How to Win the Battle Against the Animal and Climate Crisis
*Originally published 21 August 2020* Pre-word Animal Rebellion promotes civil disobedience as a catalyst for political and system change. We recognise the value of different campaign methods, such as lobbying MPs and signing petitions. However, there are other groups that already focus on these areas and they do it well. Our focus is on attention raising actions with higher consequences, such as risking arrest, and causing mass civil disobedience in full view of the public. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes, as our motives are directed towards the system, not the individual. Non-violent Direct Action Nobody wants to be arrested. Sitting in a police station for hours on end, with your liberty at risk, a criminal record that could[…]
Who Is Animal Rebellion? The Worldwide Movement.
*Originally published 14 August 2020* Animal Rebellion is active in over 30 countries, including France, Spain, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Guatemala, South Africa, Israel, South America, North America and Australia. We continue to start new communities in all corners of the world that fight for a just and sustainable future for all: humans, animals, and the planet. In 2019, a small group of Extinction Rebellion members recognised an omission in climate activism: no one was seriously addressing the relationship between people, animals, and the planet. And so, they formed Animal Rebellion to raise awareness about this gap and expose the impact animal agriculture has on the climate and all animals involved, human and non-human. They came together to address the role[…]
Animal Rebellion Netherlands: Earth Day Letter to Prime Minister
*Originally published 1 May 2020* Emerging from our Cargill action we knew that, for Earth Day, we again wanted to combine a small but strong in-person action, with a broader initiative that the general public could participate in, whilst adhering to the COVID-19 regulations. Our broader action was a country-wide call-out for people to tie signs, designed by artists at Extinction Rebellion, to trees on their daily walk. Meanwhile, a small group of us composed a carefully worded letter and planned its strategic delivery to the Prime Minister, accompanied by a “Sarah doll”. The life sized doll symbolises a woman turning the age of 50 in the Netherlands, which felt apt as it was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.[…]
The Rebellion Has Brought the Climate Crisis to the Forefront… Now It Is Time to Address Speciesism
So far Extinction Rebellion and Animal Rebellion have had so much to celebrate. They have achieved great things. Before Extinction Rebellion, the existential threat climate change poses wasn’t widely discussed in popular culture or taken seriously. In the space of a few months XR changed the tone of that conversation forever. This is a massive shift and a great achievement that we can take pride in. We can also celebrate its effectiveness Talk must produce results, and as I write this there is an election coming and climate change is now an election issue even for mainstream parties. Also, the UK government plans a citizens’ assembly to look at the climate emergency (albeit watered down from what has been demanded). This is a result![…]
Eyewitness Rebel Stories: Speak Up and Be Heard!
*Originally published 6 November 2019* The Autumn Rebellion saw a huge increase in numbers since the last big rebellion in April. Many of these supporters found themselves on the streets on 7th October protesting, for the first time in their lives, for a reality we can no longer ignore: the animal and climate emergency. Hear from two first time rebels who joined Animal Rebellion on day 1. Myra tells her story of an emotional march to Smithfield Market and being inspired by George Monbiot’s powerful speech. Jennifer gives a passionate account of finding her voice in solidarity with like minded people, who want to put the environment and animals first and transition to a plant based society. ANIMAL REBELLION AT[…]
What Anti-speciesist Rewilding Looks Like — and How to Get There
*Originally published 10 September 2019* Okay, imagine it is year X, when animal products are almost universally seen as unnecessary, unhealthy and a product of a particularly cruel period in our relationship with the planet and its other inhabitants. This is the year when most people shudder in disgust at what only recently was accepted as the norm. The food production system is being completely restructured, with fishers continuing their transition from killing marine animals to planting and harvesting kelp, while farmers are now producing plants for human consumption only. We no longer breed animals in their billions, we no longer subject them to a life of enslavement, and we no longer sentence them to death on the grounds that[…]
Cargill Family, A Historic Choice is upon You: Planetary Destruction or Climate, Animal and Human Justice?
*Originally published 25 October 2019* An open letter from Animal Rebellion to the ‘silent giant’ that holds the fate of many of the world’s forests, billions of worlds’ farmed animals and much of the global food-system in its grip. Over 140 years Cargill, whilst remaining little-known, has grown to be one of the largest traders of commodities for the animal-agricultural industry. Your company is one of a handful that control up to 90% of the worlds grain markets. Your company is also the largest worldwide producer of the grain-based feed for farmed animals and the third-largest “meat processing” company in the world.Today, your agri-business is the largest food-conglomerate in the world. Astonishingly, all this makes your organisation directly accountable for: the life and death experiences of billions of commoditized[…]
Red Tractor: Assuring Animal Cruelty
*Originally published 19 October 2019* Rather than ensuring farm standards, Red Tractor fools the unaware consumer into supporting animal cruelty. ‘Facts are irrelevant. What matters is what the consumer believes’, said Seth Godin, American author and business executive. Animal agriculture and its representatives are well aware of this fact and consumers’ desire to be reassured that the products they purchase are ethical and of high quality. But how many are aware that labels, assurance schemes and terms such as ‘humane’ and ‘farm fresh’ mean very little for the 6.4 billion animals killed for food in the UK every single year? Animal Rebellion has been protesting at the headquarters of Red Tractor, a product certification programme that is made up of a[…]