Culture

‘Spring Uprising’- to train 1,000s at a time in direct action

Team Ecohustler
7th March 2019
6 min read

Mass rebellion training for thousands with a festival atmosphere in Bristol - 16/17 March

Mass rebellion training for thousands with a festival atmosphere - Gather, train and celebrate for a weekend in Bristol - and online planetwide - 16/17 March. Preparation for International Rebellion - beginning Monday 15 April - against the UK Government for its criminal inaction on the ecological emergency.

The weekend of 16/17 March in Bristol, Extinction Rebellion will put on its first ever festival of rebellion, activism and music – dubbed ‘Spring Uprising’ – at which up to 1,000 people at a time will be trained in peaceful nonviolent civil disobedience.

Bringing together an unprecedented gathering of people from different backgrounds for nonviolent direct action workshops, music and art, the festival, to be held in Bristol’s Motion venue (74-78 Avon Street, Bristol, BS2 0PX), is part of Extinction Rebellion’s planning for what is expected to be one of the largest non-violent civil disobedience acts in decades - International Rebellion beginning 15 April 2019.

The event is supported by music industry and festival organisers such as Boomtown Festival, Buddhafield, Ninja Tune Records, Alfresco Disco, The Green Gathering, Woman Fest and Burn Punk.

Over a dozen musical acts have so far been confirmed including Sam Lee, Dizraeli, Mesadorm, Bellatrix, Pete the Temp, Honeyfeet and The High Breed. Poets include Salena Godden, Vanessa Kisuule and Kev the Poet. Speakers include Mike Bonanno of The Yes Men; Co-founder of Extinction Rebellion Dr Gail Bradbrook; author and founding member of Ecological Land Co-op Alex Lawrie; writer for New Internationalist & Occupy activist Jamie Kelsey-Fry; writer & artist Zoe Young.

Saturday 16 March will see live streams with major Extinction Rebellion UK groups so attendees can meet and talk to rebels from around the country. On Sunday 17 March, the same will happen for international Extinction Rebellion groups from the USA, Ghana and beyond. There will also be a People’s Assembly.

“This is the next step in our response to the threat to life we all face, a potentially life changing event for attendees. Let’s celebrate coming together, get trained, organised and have a damn good time doing it,” said festival organiser, Tiana Jacout.

“With thousands of people coming together to face the climate and ecological emergency, this event is intended to help people prepare, organise and celebrate for this historic moment in time together. It will also give individuals the opportunity to find and critically analyse their role in the movement for change.”

Eight areas to explore, learn and take part

Rebel hall - Music, talks and non-violent direct action training for 1000 at a time.
Solution Zone – Showcasing local and national solutions to the crisis – co-housing, permaculture, renewable energy, tiny houses, resource use, a citizens’ assembly demo, a special projected zoom call with Extinction Rebellion groups all over the world and more
Gallery – Art themed around the ecological crisis. The best 20 will be taken on an Extinction Rebellion art tour this summer (galleries & festivals)
The Art Factory – Lets make the rebellion beautiful! To create much of the larger art/banners/ printing that will be used for 15 April onwards – come up and help, learn how to Lino print, print your clothes with Extinction Rebellion graphics, or just hang out with the brilliant scoundrels that are our art team
The Sanctuary – Our regenerative culture space, the Extinction café, with communication, grief counsellors and body workers
Resistance Exhibition – A photographic journey through social resistance movements from the past 30 years
Training Rooms – Smaller spaces for specific activism training throughout the weekend (training of trainers, learn the ‘heading for extinction’ talk etc.)
Ethical Food Quarter – With food provided by ethical traders and food waste organisations. No single use plastics here!

Em Weirdigan, Green Gathering festival director and Solutions Zone curator says: "I'm massively excited to be part of a movement that's about rebellion, about civil disobedience ... and about seeking practical answers alongside people who've been working on solutions to climate change and community breakdown for years.

“By rebelling, we can catapult both the severity of the crisis and the fact that there are solutions into the spotlight. Just like The Green Gathering, this Spring Uprising is a festival beyond hedonism - it's about gathering together to save the planet."

The Solutions Zone at the Spring Uprising Festival

The Solutions Zone will showcase amazing organisations and charities that are already doing the work. A community exchange of ideas – bringing back the possibility of a beautiful world, the solution workshops will learn from past civil rights movements and apply them to the current issues.

Expect to hear about permaculture, co-operatives, renewable energy, grassroots democracy, land regeneration, housing and health, food for a future, water conservation, zero waste and zero carbon, circular economies, community building, solidarity in diversity, global justice, sustainable materials, skilling up, technological solutions, independent media and more.

The aim is to inspire people to take action NOW to change their lives and the world in response to the climate change and ecological crises. There will be interactive spaces – stalls, installations and micro-communities – to wander amongst. The Solutions Zone is a space where people can learn new skills, make connections, find community and change their lives, and it’s all curated by the award-winning Green Gathering festival crew.

Plus Solutions Zone TV linking up with Extinction Rebellion teams internationally and sharing eco solutions from around the world.

Declaration of Rebellion: https://rebellion.earth/declaration/

The Extinction Rebellion Climate Factsheet for Rebels

https://rebellion.earth/the-climate-factsheet-for-rebels/

Get involved in Extinction Rebellion’s other events