Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (XR BCP) and allied groups will march through Poole on Saturday, 11th October, calling for climate justice and standing in solidarity with communities around the world on the frontlines of the climate and ecological crisis.
The march will begin at Poole Park at midday and finish at Poole Quay with a rally and speeches, highlighting the town’s colonial past and its continuing connection to global systems of exploitation and inequality.
This action, taking place during Black History Month, will bring together green, racial justice, social justice and animal rights groups to demand justice for people, animals and the planet.
Participants will raise banners and voices against Big Oil’s destruction in Africa, the eviction of Indigenous peoples in the name of conservation, and the systemic inequalities in the UK that leave people from ethnic minority backgrounds far less likely to have access to green space.
Daniel Glennon, XR BCP spokesperson, said:
“Colonialism is not a thing of the past – it is alive today in the climate crisis. From Perenco’s harmful oil operations in Africa to the continued murder of Indigenous land protectors, the exploitation that fuels environmental breakdown is built on the same systems of injustice that enriched towns like Poole through slavery and empire.
“Communities in the Global South have done the least to cause the climate crisis but are suffering its worst impacts. Climate justice must mean reparations, debt cancellation, and solidarity with those fighting for survival, dignity and liberation.”
Messages on the march will include:
“Climate Justice = Debt Cancellation”
“No More Evicting Indigenous Peoples in the Name of Conservation”
“Indigenous Defenders’ Lives Matter”
“Reparations for People of the Global South”
“Decolonise Climate Activism”
XR BCP is calling on people across the region to join the march, bringing banners, drums, and their voices, to help make visible the often-erased truths at the heart of climate breakdown.
