XR Arrestee Support Training

8th Jul 2019 19:00 - 21:30

Zoom virtual meeting https://zoom.us/j/956976348

Learn about the role of the XR Arrest Support Welfare team and what you can do locally to support rebels who are planning to or have already risked arrest.

The first 2 hours are a workshop/training where we will briefly touch on different aspects highlighting different resources and encouraging you to explore your particular local needs.

The final half hour is an optional drop in session for people who are developing their arrestee support team and would like to ask questions or share experiences - you do not have to attend the whole training to dial in for this segment

Monday 8th July: 19:00 – 21:30 https://zoom.us/j/956976348 Dial in: +44 131 460 1196 Meeting ID: 956 976 348

There are at least two trainings per week for July - please check Extinction Rebellion Regenerative Culture events page for other times

Uptodate training times here too: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W43r2O8ctz_3-hLjsnphZ-n1BfExYbJ-AgoTAsw73AQ/edit


With 71 people charged and going through court proceedings, and a steady trickle of the 1100 released pending investigation starting to get charged it is important that we develop a connected network of local arrestee support groups.

This will be essential as we start building capacity for a much larger October Rebellion and forthcoming Project Mushroom.

We would like to share a training based on our experiences and the experience of other activist groups. This will include pre-arrest preparation, police station support, and post-arrest/court support. We will talk about the integration of Arrest Welfare with Legal and Media teams and fundraising teams.

We certainly haven't got all the answers or the perfect system. We are constantly evolving to meet our changing experiences and we want to learn from you if your local group has already got something set up. (email XR-ArrestWelfare@protonmail.com with details of your local arrestee support team)


We are grateful to all those activists who have been arrested for making a principled stand against the unnecessary destruction of biodiversity. As they make this sacrifice it is our collective responsibility to support them as best we can.

Arrest, charge and imprisonment are bittersweet possibilities for those that aim for it. Sweet because it works perfectly with XR’s theory of change: a system that criminalises the beautiful people trying to stop a climate catastrophe is seen to be unfit for purpose.

Bitter because, despite this, every arrest and charge bears its emotional and material costs. It is our responsibility as a movement to rally around these people and provide them with a web of support and connection to mitigate where possible the negative effects. In particular we need to find those that were not planning to be arrested.

A large gap we have noticed is the lack of rigorous processes for emotionally and practically preparing people for arrest and the impact it can have. Furthermore acknowledging the systemic prejudices and structural disadvantages different individuals face in the criminal justice system as a result of certain traits e.g. their ethnicity, sexual orientation, class, gender, disability etc.

We look forward to connection with you

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