Direct Action

Climate Protesters Delay Congressional Baseball Game

August 6, 2022 Zach Roberts, DeSmog. Resist! climate crisis, Congress, Direct Action

The Congressional Baseball Game is an annual tradition that dates back to 1909. It’s supposed to be a time for both sides of the political system to come together and join in a peaceful nine innings of the national pastime. But this year’s game, held on Thursday, July 28 at the Washington Nationals’ ballpark in Washington, D.C., was less sleepy than the average baseball game. Now or Never, a group of justice, faith, and climate organizations, held a protest in an attempt to disrupt the event and draw attention to the urgent need for large-scale climate action. Approximately 60 protesters rallied in front of the ballpark’s centerfield gates. While they didn’t have the numbers to shut down the event completely as they’d hoped, they did manage to delay the game.

No To NATO In Madrid

July 6, 2022 Ann Wright, Popular Resistance. Resist! Direct Action, Madrid, NATO, Wars and Militarism

I was one of hundreds who attended the NO to NATO peace summit June 26-27, 2022 and one of tens of thousands who marched for NO to NATO in Madrid, Spain a few days before the leaders of the 30 NATO countries arrived in the city for their latest NATO Summit to map out NATO’s future military actions. Two conferences, the Peace Summit and the Counter-Summit, provided opportunities for Spaniards and international delegations to hear the impact of ever-increasing military budgets on NATO countries that give weaponry and personnel to the war mongering capabilities of NATO at the expense of health, education, housing and other true human security needs.

Scientists Worldwide Mobilize To Demand ‘Climate Revolution’

April 7, 2022 Jake Johnson, Common Dreams. Resist! climate crisis, Direct Action, Extinction Rebellion, Scientists

More than 1,000 scientists across the globe chained themselves to the doors of oil-friendly banks, blocked bridges, and occupied the steps of government buildings on Wednesday to send an urgent message to the international community: The ecological crisis is accelerating, and only a "climate revolution" will be enough to avert catastrophe. What organizers described as "the world's largest-ever scientist-led civil disobedience campaign" kicked off just days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report detailing the grim state of efforts to limit global warming to 1.5°C by century's end, a target set by the Paris accord. As one of the report's authors put it during a press call earlier this week, "Unless there are immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, 1.5°C is beyond reach."

Extinction Rebellion Activists Plan Two-Week ‘October Rebellion’

October 11, 2021 Cheryl Chan, National Post. Resist! Canada, climate crisis, Direct Action, Extinction Rebellion

Climate protesters are planning a series of protests in Vancouver this month that includes occupying major intersections, bridges, and “shutting down” Vancouver International Airport. Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion Canada said it wants a commitment from the provincial and federal governments to end fossil fuel subsidies before the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, which starts Oct. 31. If this demand isn’t met, Extinction Rebellion plans to initiate what it is calling the October Rebellion, a two-week campaign of mass civil disobedience in Vancouver starting Oct. 16. “We are going to be arrested in the streets,” said Extinction Rebellion member Brent Eichler. “(Trudeau) is going to face the embarrassment of not just telling world leaders why he has failed on the promises he has made, but why citizens of his own country are sitting on the streets and being arrested because he won’t act.”

Science Shows We Must Stop Pipelines: This Is How We Do It

September 6, 2021 Margaret Flowers, Clearing the FOG. Podcast climate crisis, Direct Action, Mountain Valley Pipeline, Pipelines

A new report finds that almost one-third of people living in the United States have been directly impacted by the climate crisis so far this year. This includes fires, floods and extreme heat. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that the climate crisis is undoubtedly being caused by human behavior. We must stop emitting carbon now but pipelines for oil and gas are still being built across the country. Clearing the FOG speaks with Deborah Kushner of Appalachians Against Pipelines about her work to stop the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley Pipelines. Deborah and two others shut down construction of the MVP in June. Their trial took place last week. She talks about pipeline resistance and how she found the courage to take action.

An Invitation From People V. Fossil Fuels

August 31, 2021 People Vs. Fossil Fuels. Resist! climate crisis, Direct Action, Fossil Fuels, Joe Biden

We, the undersigned, come from the trenches in the fight against fossil fuels. From fracking sites and oil wells, to pipelines and refineries, to plastic plants and more, we are impacted Indigenous, Brown, Black, and low-income communities living on the frontlines of this climate emergency. Over the years we have written thousands of messages to politicians, attended countless hearings, testified hundreds of times, and have placed our bodies on the line when needed, all the while our government continues to ignore the science and Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge and steers us toward climate catastrophe. We have everything to lose and no time to wait. President Biden promised to address the climate emergency and a history of environmental injustice, but so far, his administration continues to allow the fossil fuel industry to poison our communities and desolate our Mother Earth.

Shutting Down The British Arms Trade To Israel

July 3, 2021 Alan Macleod and Mnar Muhawesh Adley, Mintpress News. Resist! Direct Action, Israel, Palestine, Weapons Sales

Palestine Action Has Made Headlines For Its Forceful Commitment To Shutting Down The Arms Trade Between Israel And The U.K., Trying To Do With Direct Action What Anti-War Organizations Have Long Been Calling For.

Build New Infrastructure For A Broader Movement

February 25, 2021 Jeff Ordower, Organizing Upgrade. Organize! Direct Action, Gig Workers, Labor Unions, Worker Rights

The huge upswing in worker organizing in 2020 often had union support, but with an experimental twist. Over the first few months of the COVID-19 epidemic, workers from bridal shops to pizza places to supermarkets were organizing to get Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and winning. They used tools like the coworker.org site, which helps anyone start up a petition in their workplace and make demands. Groups like the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC), a project of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and the United Electrical Workers Union (UE) supported those workers taking independent action. EWOC provides a sophisticated intake system combined with veteran labor movement coaches to support workers winning their demands.

Direct Action Shuts Down Coal Infrastructure In Germany

June 24, 2019 Staff, Unicornriot.ninja Resist! Climate Change, Coal Mining, Direct Action, Fossil Fuels, Germany, March

The marches from the Ende Gelände covered a fair amount of distance and stretched into the afternoon. As the marchers approached the train they were going to take to their destination, police turned them away from using transit, forcing them to begin a trek of several kilometers on foot. Police in riot gear pushed their way through the march at one point, which increased the feeling of tension in the crowd. The green and red “finger” combined during the journey, while the pink “finger” had reportedly already reached the site.

Direct Action In Minnesota As Line 3 Pipeline Approval Reversed

June 14, 2019 Andrew Neef, Unicornriot.ninja Resist! Direct Action, Minnesota, Pipelines

Near Park Rapids, MN – On Monday, June 3, 2019 three water protectors shut down work on power lines along the proposed Enbridge Line 3 tar sands oil pipeline by locking themselves to construction equipment. The same day, the Certificate of Need and Routing Permit for Enbridge’s Line 3 was “Reversed and Remanded,” by the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Monday’s happenings continue years of a mixture of direct action and legal battles by environmental and indigenous groups against the proposed Line 3 project.

In Praise Of Direct Action (And More)

January 29, 2019 Paul Street, Counterpunch.org Strategize! Class Struggle, Direct Action, Government Shutdown

As the partial federal shutdown moved into its third week, I found myself thinking about the late left economist and sociologist Giovanni Arrighi’s concept of “workplace bargaining power” (WBP). By WBP, Arrighi meant the ability some strategically placed workers possess to idle capital and harm profits by bottle-necking the interdependent, integrated, and continuous flow of production. This, Arrighi argued, was different from the special “marketplace bargaining power” (MBP) some workers derive from the possession of scarce skills.

Direct Action Campaigning Today: Manual For Organizers

December 13, 2017 George Lakey, www.wagingnonviolence.org Strategize! Direct Action, Nonviolent Action

For the past year I’ve been book touring to over 60 cities and towns across the United States and have been asked repeatedly for a direct action manual that addresses challenges we face now. The requests come from people concerned about a variety of issues. While each situation is in some ways unique, organizers in multiple movements face some similar problems in both organization and action. What follows is a different manual from the one we put out over 50 years ago. Then, movements operated in a robust empire that was used to winning its wars. The government was fairly stable and held great legitimacy in the eyes of the majority. Acknowledge that the United States has not seen this degree of political polarization in half a century. Polarization shakes things up. Shake-up means increased opportunity for positive change, as demonstrated in many historical situations.

Direct Action Against Arms Fairs In New Zealand And South Korea

October 31, 2017 Staff, wri-irg.org Resist! Direct Action, New Zealand, South Korea, weapons

By Staff of War Resisters' International - In New Zealand, Peace Action Wellington organised groups from across New Zealand to resist the annual New Zealand Defence Industry Association's (NZDIA) “weapons expo”. From 7am on 10th October, around 200 people were onsite to protest the event, with the entrances to the Westpac Stadium blocked by protesters sat in the roads and hanging from banners. Jessie Dennis, a spokesperson for Peace Action Wellington said: “We’re here to stay. We think it’s totally unethical that New Zealand plays host to a Weapons Expo, and we’re not leaving until the weapons dealers do. The Weapons Expo is a trade fair for some of the biggest arms companies in the world. The delegates attending would have us believe that the products on sale and the deals being done at the Expo are somehow benign. But make no mistake, these are weapons and military hardware that play their part in the global war machine.” The protest was heavily policed, with a number of arrests and protesters accusing the police of violence. The coalition taking action included Auckland Peace Action, Peace Action Hamilton, People Against Prisons Aotearoa, Palestine Solidarity Network, Whanganui Positive Activists, It’s Our Future Manawatu, Oil Free Wellington, Unions Wellington, Pacific Panthers, Quakers, Catholic Workers and many other individual activists.

Prepare Your Community For Grassroots Disaster Response

September 5, 2017 Staff, www.bigideasforbees.wordpress.com Organize! Direct Action, Natural Disasters

By Staff of Big Ideas for Bees - Climate Chaos is happening. Adaptation and preparation are essential. Grassroots disaster response will be more and more necessary as we see more catastrophes – infrastructure, economic, and ecological collapses – and as corporations and governments seek only to capitalize on the crises. That is why I am helping to grow Mutual Aid Disaster Relief (MADR) – a new organization inspired by Common Ground, Occupy Sandy, the Standing Rock Water Protectors, and the long history of diverse grassroots direct actions seeking to make a better world possible. We are developing and training a standing network of community organizers and volunteer disaster responders, continually growing in size and efficacy, which will be at-the-ready to respond to natural and unnatural disasters – from hurricanes to hate rallies, from mudslides to mine waste spills – and to help survivors, especially those in marginalized communities, to stand up for themselves, to restore their homes, to build their power, and to vision a more sustainable future.

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