Extinction Rebellion Brighton Newsletter
21st September 2022
XRB
REBELLION BUS TO VISIT BRIGHTON
The period of national mourning following the death of the Queen necessitated replanning of the Rebellion Bus tours. Brighton along with other XR groups in the South was due to host the bus during the first week of the tours. Those postponed visits have been reorganised into a new tour starting on October 17th after the Weekend of Resistance. The date on which we can expect the bus in Brighton will be announced later this week.
So the hard work and detailed planning put in by the dedicated team of Brighton rebels will not be wasted but more volunteers are needed to organise the visit. Keep an eye on XRB Telegram channels for an announcement when the date is known.
CLEAN AIR ACT
The air on North Street is toxic. Continuous monitoring reveals a level of pollution, in particular nitrous oxide (NO2), far in excess of the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organisation. Nitrous Oxide is a cause and an aggravating factor of not only respiratory diseases but also heart diseases, dementia and stunted lung development in unborn babies. Brighton & Hove Council are drafting a new Air Quality Action Plan in an attempt to control the level of pollution produced mainly by motor vehicles.
But members of XR Brighton Health consider the proposed standards to be feeble. There is no safe limit for air pollution; WHO guidelines posit an upper limit of 10ug/m3 for NO2; the Council’s proposed Action Plan aims for an upper limit of 30ug/m3 over the next five years. XR Brighton Health is promoting a public petition to persuade the Council to aim higher.
There is a similar dedicated petition for local health professionals that will be presented along with personal
letters to members of the Transport, Environment and Sustainability Committee who will decide on the new AQAP.
On 20th September XR Brighton Health and other concerned local organisations will hold an outreach gathering distributing flyers about the petition before presenting a deputation to the committee.
Come and join us at 3.00 pm on Tuesday September 20th at Norton Road entrance to Hove Town Hall.
WALK OF SHAME
The Fossil Fuel Bank Action group continue to protest at Barclays’ massive funding of the fossil fuel industry with regular demonstrations outside, and sometimes inside, the bank’s premises on North Street. Although Barclays is Europe’s largest fossil fuel financer HSBC, another British bank, is a similar offender. The campaigning group walk between the premises of the two banks alerting members of the public to the destructive investments the banks make with depositers’ money.
The next demonstration will be on Monday 26th September 11.00 am on North Street.
A national day of action directed at Barclays is planned for November 14th
The National Trust banks with Barclays. Members are urged to support a resolution at the forthcoming AGM that the Trust cease to bank with Barclays. The full text and voting procedure are in the recently received voting pack.
MASS TRESPASS OF OLDHOUSE WARREN
Oldhouse Warren consists of 550 acres of ancient Woodland near Crawley under threat from Center Parcs who want to build a holiday town of 900 lodges and big visitor attractions. A Mass Trespass is planned for 24th September in conjunction with Right to Roam and Landscapes of Freedom organisations to show opposition to destroying our local biodiversity in this fabulous old forest.
Contact: protectoldhousewarren@gmail.com
For more information: https://landscapesoffreedom.wordpress.com/
To register for the trespass: https://tinyurl.com/2nkmlzx6
Plan to be at Balcombe Station from 9.30am onwards for a car & minibus ferry to the gathering place.
This action was postponed from September 17th because of the planned rail strike. Note the new date - Saturday 24th September 10.30 am to 3.30 pm
WEEKEND OF RESISTANCE
The Festival of Resistance has not been lost. XR’s contribution to the anti-Government protests that will fill the month of October will be on Friday 14th October in Whitehall – details to come in a Rebellion Broadcast. It will be followed by two days of peaceful collective celebration in London with talks, presentations, music, food, a march and regeneration including much rescued from the plans for the Festival of Resistance. So save the dates: October 14-16.
MEETINGS
IN PERSON
We meet in person on Sunday afternoons every two weeks 3.00 pm - 5.00 pm at The Phoenix Community Centre, 2 Phoenix Place BN2 9ND.
The next meeting will be on Sunday 25th September.
ONLINE
We also meet online every three weeks on a different day of the week to give everyone an opportunity to join in. Here’s an opportunity to check in if you haven’t been for a while, see what’s going on and raise topics of the moment.
Our next meeting will be on Friday 23rd September at 7.00 pm.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8322708642
Meeting ID: 832 270 8642
Passcode: coord22
INTRODUCTION TO XRB
For newly joined rebels we hold a welcome and introductory meeting every week on Tuesday evenings at 6.00 pm. Come and learn how XR Brighton works, how to use the Telegram messaging system that we use for chatting and sharing information, make contacts that appeal to your personal interests and maybe pair up with an experienced buddy to help guide you through the first few weeks.
The login details are the same every week.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87939493146
Meeting ID: 879 3949 3146
Passcode: 456681