Can Extinction Rebellion shut down London and force government to act on climate change?

Supporters have appeared naked in parliament, splashed fake blood across the streets and this week plan to close down London. Jane Fae considers the history and effectiveness of protest

November: pitfalls are already appearing for ‘XR’ at less than six months old (Alamy)

This is it: the week Extinction Rebellion (XR) makes its bid for relevance, notoriety and a place at the Big Table, politically speaking. The environmental group’s plan, very publicly stated, is that unless government agrees to three demands, including telling the truth about climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025, it will set about progressively closing down London.

Action is also planned in at least a dozen other countries across the world. My Twitter, not to mention my many newsfeeds and Whatsapp groups, is awash with suggestions and bright ideas. Debate is about which actions are likely to come with biggest “bang for buck” – that is, maximum disruption, minimum public annoyance – and which are most likely to alienate wider support. My heart is very much with these activists.

Because it is a disgrace of unparalleled proportion – besides which the Brexit fiasco pales into insignificance – that, faced with existential threat of the magnitude currently facing the planet, our politicians are carrying on with business as usual. And though my heart is with them, my head urges caution. Not because they are wrong, but because as a lifelong rebel, I wonder, now, if it is too late for such tactics: if we have reached a point in the political cycle where extra-parliamentary activity cannot be allowed to be seen to have effect.