Report of Extinction Rebellion meeting with Community Groups in Haringey

Posted: April 19, 2023

Sunday March 26th 2023

This meeting in a church hall in Hornsey was organised by XR Haringey to make contact with local Community Action Groups concerned/engaged/connected with issues of sustainability, social justice and climate and ecological justice, and to establish long term connections. In the process we were helped and made aware of existing groups and structures and are keen to become active members of them. The meeting backed The Big One events April 21-24th in Central London – https://extinctionrebellion.uk/the-big-one/programme/ We also welcome the opportunity of contributing to the Haringey Community Action Workshop Event on Sunday 11th June.

31 people attended from the following 19 groups and organisations:

Meadow Orchard
Friends of Alexandra Park
Haringey Tree Protectors
Unite Community / RTF Haringey
Friends of Finsbury Park
CWU
Haringey Solidarity Group
Muswell Hill Sustainability Group
Haringey Right to Food
Haringey Green Party
Stop the Edmonton Incinerator
Sustainable Haringey
Stroud Green Labour Party
Warner Estate Residents Assoc
Haringey Unison
4U2
Go Green
Haringey Community Action Network
XR Haringey

After soup, informal introductions and a string exercise (which clearly demonstrated how inter connected we all were!) we divided freely into 5 groups to discuss our pressing concerns. Outcomes from these discussions were recorded on post-its and in attached doc.

As XR we were not pushing our own national agenda during this meeting, because it is our aim to build stronger local links with others that extend far beyond The Big One, and we are now represented on HCAN(Haringey Community Action Network). The one action we publicised was an anti- incineration procession we are co-ordinating on Monday 24th April, which will be touring Government Depts in Westminster/Whitehall and delivering a letter to DESNZ (Dept of Energy Security and Net Zero). More details below.

The one agreed outcome of the meeting, however, was to support events of The Big One. https://extinctionrebellion.uk/the-big-one/programme/ XR Stewards (in pink hi-viz) will be at all locations to answers questions about where to go.

XR Haringey will be at the Big One over the 4 days Perhaps you would like to join us at the following:

Friday 21st Pickets of Government Departments 7am-6pm XR Haringey and Muswell Hill will be based at DLUHC (2 Marsham St, London SW1P 4DF) from 7am. An anti-airport expansion march will meet at Trafalgar Square at 13.30 to move off soon afterwards. The massive Climate Choir will start singing at 14.30 south-east of Parliament, and the opening event will start at 15.00. We hope this will not disappoint.

Saturday 22nd Events will start from 8am. We will gather at Parliament from 12 noon. The Biodiversity Procession will start at 13.00. Interest has been very high. XR Muswell Hill and Haringey will be forming a moving forest, to underline our ongoing campaign to save mature trees in Haringey.

Sunday 23rd Outreach in shared spaces with the London Marathon, People’s Assemblies

Monday 24th Pickets of Government Departments from 7am. XR Haringey are coordinating an Anti incineration procession, gathering outside DESNZ (1Victoria Street SW1H 0ET) at 11.30. Speeches at 12, plus handing in a copy of a letter to Rishi Sunak. The procession (with dragon, incinerator, banshees, a ghostly skeleton of a white elephant and drums) will travel around other near-by Government offices, stopping to hand in a copy of the letter, and handing out flyers. The procession will finish at DfT. The march to End Fossill Fuels leaves Parliament at 13.00.

Much more information on https://extinctionrebellion.uk/the-big-one/programme/

The support and scope of the Big One is expanding all the time – so watch this space. Nearly 30,000, mainly XR members, have said they are attending, plus over 70 groups and organisations will be adding their demands, slogans, banners, and numbers over the four days, which could double these numbers – so perhaps 100,000 over 4 days isn’t unreachable.

All banners and placards from attendees welcome at all events.

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