The Festival of Resistance is back! The schedule and venue has changed since the original September plan, so make sure you’re fully aware of the new plans. Check out the Weekend of Resistance page on the UK website first, then read on here for extra context.
Preparation
Every rebel is advised to join an Affinity Group.
If you’re comfortable sharing your name, add it to the Oxford spreadsheet.
Join these Telegram groups:
- Rebellion Broadcast: for key UK-wide broadcasts and preparation.
- South East Region Broadcast: for regional announcements.
- London Rebels Broadcast: for actions happening in London.
- Oxfordshire Rebels during Rebellion: for Oxfordshire action-coordination during the Rebellion.
- XR Oxford Announcements: for key Oxford preparations and training in advance of Rebellion, and post-action debrief afterwards.
There are lots of different roles, ranging from stewarding, outreach, cooking, facilitating in the People’s Assembly, etc. Join the We are all crew Telegram channel and decide where you could help, even for an hour or two.
Training
NVDA
If you missed our in-person NVDA training in September, there are online trainings this week on the 9th, 10th, and 11th October.
Know Your Rights
The PCSC Bill means that previous advice may no longer be valid. XRUK is running online training on 13th October, 7:30-8:30PM. If you can’t make the live session, there is a recorded version.
This training has been updated to cover changes to the law made by the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts (PCSC) Act 2022. It aims to prepare rebels for interaction with the Police and to enable them to minimise risks to themselves and others.
It covers:
- The 5 Key Messages to remember when going to a protest
- Police tactics and the role of private security
- Stop and Search
- What happens if you get arrested and/or charged
- Laws commonly used against protestors
We have an Oxford specific bust card for this weekend, which includes John Briant (07870 597 888) who has experience working with XR Oxford, along with the Oxford Anchor number (07821 877664), available from 2pm Friday to 8am Saturday.
Outreach
XRUK is running online outreach training on 9th October at 5:15PM. Sign up here.
DATES
11th October – Bus tour visits Oxford, day 1
- 12-4pm: Catte Street OX1 3BW
- 5-7pm: Manzil Way OX4 1GE
11th October, 7PM: South East Open Call. Join this Zoom meeting to hear all about the plan for the weekend, including a South East meetup on Friday.
12th October – Bus tour visits Oxford, day 2
- 11.30-2pm: Blackbird Leys Community Centre OX4 6HW
- 2.30-4:30pm: Natural History Museum OX1 3PW
14th October – Action at Downing Street, meeting at Trafalgar Square at 12PM
Rebels from the South East region will be gathering beforehand in St James’s Park, close to The Mall at the Admiralty Arch end, at 11AM (https://w3w.co/plants.pure.alone)
15th October – Festival of Resistance, Tate Modern Garden, 11AM-5PM
16th October – Reclaim Our Future March, Reformer’s Tree, Hyde Park, 10:30AM
LOCATION and TRavel
The fastest way to reach London is by train to Paddington; there are currently no rail strikes scheduled for 14-16th October. Alternatively, the Oxford Tube bus service is cheaper. We recommend using the Marble Arch stop for all three days – to get to Trafalgar Square (14th) and Tate Modern (15th), take the London Underground, and the Reformer’s Tree (16th) is a short walk.
Travel subsidies are available.
- The XRUK Justice Steering Group has some funds that may enable marginalised rebels to participate in the 14-16 October Weekend of Resistance. If you are a marginalised rebel AND finance is a barrier to involvement, please fill in this form and if you meet the criteria, we’ll try to remove that barrier. We’ll need receipts, tickets etc for the finance system: https://xrb.link/gU78yQ
If you wish to discuss your needs contact: xr.inclusion@protonmail.com - If you find that the central fund cannot provide you with what you need, XR Oxford has a fund to help rebels with travel costs to London for September and October’s activities. You can claim £20 for each return trip you make to London. This is enough to cover a return ticket on the Oxford Tube. You can claim for up to 4 trips (a maximum of £80) across September and October 2022. We can make payment by bank transfer, cash or Paypal. We will ask you to email a picture of your ticket or receipt. We can give you money before you travel, if you need it. This scheme is being operated on trust – please only ask for this money if you need it. We won’t ask for any proof of need. If you’d like to use the travel fund, please talk to your affinity group coordinator, or email xroxfordedi@gmail.com. Sadly our fund is not unlimited, so if you need to use the fund, please check we’ve got money for you before you travel.
Accommodation
Three kinds of accommodation are on offer: camping, indoor accommodation and Human Hotel.
Campsite
The campsite is happening! Thur 13 Oct 12.00 – Mon 17 Oct 12.00. Register via email, including the number of people and tents in your group: scamp2022@protonmail.com
Join the Campsite Telegram chat.
Location with good transport links to central London – details available soon. If you are arriving on 13th please help with camp set up if possible – we are all crew!
Indoor Accommodation
There is still space available in shared hall accommodation. Register interest asap. The Indoor Accommodation chat is available for further information and questions.
Human Hotel
An alternative accommodation option.
All accommodation options potentially available 13-16 October.
Accessibility: email the Disabled Rebels Network with questions or support requests:
xr.inclusion@protonmail.com
All rebels should follow the Rebel Agreement.
COVID-19 precautions
Covid cases are on the rise again. Please do not attend if you have any symptoms of Covid-19. Wear a mask in situations where you cannot maintain distance from other people.
Supporting the Rebellion from Oxford
The Rebel bus tour visits Oxford before the Weekend, on Tuesday 11 October. The Rebellion buses are intended to give local groups a boost with their outreach work.
The Digital Rebellion will be running once again – keep an eye on the website for more information.