We will need to remember that we are not alone and never were, that we are part of a world of many worlds, only some of which are human. And we will need to rediscover that any world worth living for centres not on the vast systems we built to secure the future, but on those encounters that are proportioned to the kind of creatures we are, the places where we meet, the acts of friendship and the acts of hospitality in which we offer shelter and kindness to the stranger at the door. In this way, even now, there may be time to find our place within the vastly larger and older story of which we always were a part.
Dougald Hine – At Work In The Ruins
Dear friends,
Our amazing rebels have leapt back into action to make sure that The Big One is a success. We’ve been drawing attention to the shocking state of our rivers, highlighting the council’s continuing use of fossil-fuel enabling Barclays, and getting ready for an outreach blitz to supercharge our turnout in April! It’s now confirmed to be a four day event, so if you can’t make it on the Friday, we’ll see you there on the weekend.
Dates for your diary
- Sunday 19th February, 1:15-3:45pm: Outreach Skillshare Workshop. We are very lucky to have the national Project 3.5 team leading an outreach workshop in Oxford. (South Oxford Community Centre, Gill Garratt Room)
- Wednesday 22nd February, 5pm: Oxford Fairtrade Fortnight launch (Nuffield College)
- Friday 24th February, 6:30-8:30pm, and Saturday 25th February, 10:30am-12:30pm: Bring and Buy Book Sale (57 Divinity Road, OX4 1NX)
- Saturday 25th February, 10am-4pm: Outreach stall (Gloucester Green)
- Wednesday 1st March, 7-9pm: Act Together: Community Climate talk by Roman Krznaric (New Road Baptist Church)
- Friday 3rd March, 5:15-7pm: Debt For Climate discussion (Old Fire Station Café)
- Tuesday 7th March, 6-7:30pm: XR Oxford Rhythms (samba) – beginners session. Please contact xroxforddrummers@gmail.com if you plan to come so that we know how many extra drums/percussion to bring. (New Marston Pastoral Centre)
- Wednesday 8th March, 10am-4pm: Outreach stall (Gloucester Green)
- Saturday 11th March, 2:30-4:30pm: XR Oxford Singers (South Oxford Community Centre)
- Friday 24th March: National Day of Action on divestment
- Friday 21st – Monday 24th April: The Big One (London). Make sure your diary is clear, and tell your friends!
Help needed
Act Together – Wednesday, 1st March
Roman Krznaric, philosopher and author of the inspirational book The Good Ancestor, will talk about why it’s so important that we become good ancestors, and act to preserve the Earth for future generations. Members of XR Oxford will speak about what being in Extinction Rebellion has meant to them, and there will also be a chance to hear about The Big One, a peaceful campaign uniting climate, nature, and social justice groups to bring 100,000 people together in London from April 21st this year. This is a public event aimed at people who have not taken action with us before. Please spread the word about it as widely as you can; bring friends, family, colleagues to what promises to be a fascinating evening.
Facebook event / website event
Local Alliances Group
A key part of the strategy for high turnout in April is working with other local climate-concerned groups. Individuals have been doing great work at reaching out to some of these groups, but we need more help to make sure we don’t miss any. If you can help out for the next couple of months, please email: xroxfordcoordinator@gmail.com
Gloucester Green Stall
On four Spring dates, the XR Oxford Canaries are organising an outreach stall in Gloucester Green Market (25 Feb/8 March/25 March/12 April). There will be leaflets, art materials, and hopefully some alliance partners sharing our stall. We’d love you to join us for a shift reaching out to market-goers and passersby, particularly to invite them to The Big One in April. Please use the rota here if you’d like to sign up. And email canariescoordinator@gmail.com if you have any questions!
News
Dirty Water
On 28th January, as part of a national campaign, XR Oxford joined with many other groups across the county to highlight the government’s disgraceful inaction on sewage pollution in our waterways, unveiling ‘blue plaques’ commemorating the voting down in October 2021 of an amendment that would have required water companies to clean up their act. Many other Oxfordshire groups took part in the action, targeting specific MPs who had voted against the amendment.
[ Read more ]
Reminding the council to stop banking with Barclays – in song
When we discovered that Oxford City Council, in spite of having declared a climate emergency, continues to bank with Barclays – Europe’s biggest funder of fossil fuels – we decided to take action.
Last autumn, rebels marched to Oxford Town Hall and handed over a letter asking the Council to move its account. In response, the Council laughably claimed that Barclays was the ‘most ethical’ of the banks who had tendered from the account. Not good enough, we decided, especially now that at least one competitor in the Local Authorities banking market (Lloyds) has since committed to ending new fossil fuel investment.
[ Read more ]
XR Oxford Singers – Come and Sing!
On the second Saturday of every month, 2:30-4:30pm, learn and practice a variety of great songs for use at future protests – and for enjoyment too. All are welcome – no previous knowledge or expertise is required and all songs and harmonies will be taught by ear. If you have a song you’d like to bring along and teach, please let us know in advance by emailing xroxfordactions@gmail.com. We’d appreciate a contribution of £2 on the day to cover the cost of room hire. Brenda Horwood Room, South Oxford Community Centre (fully accessible).
Debt for Climate in Oxford: March 3rd
Eight international activists from South Africa, Argentina, Germany, Romania and USA are in Oxford on Friday, March 3rd. Come meet Debt for Climate between 5:15 and 7pm at the Old Fire Station Café, OX1 2AQ, for an informal (and free) chat and discussion about:
• why debt cancellation would be a victory for climate and ecology
• how debt and the climate crisis impact women in particular
Watch a video on Debt for Climate here.
Divestment is at the core of what we do
Divestment has been a very successful tactic for publicising and undermining fossil fuels corporations still plotting further exploration and development of new fossil fuel sites. The national divest campaign has called a day of action countrywide for 24th March. General details at: https://www.divest.org.uk/ and local events will be announced soon.
No New Roads!
Please remember to voice your concerns on the new HIF1 South Oxfordshire road scheme, which, if allowed to go ahead, will blow a massive hole in local council climate plans. To object go to https://oraa.org.uk/take-action
Petition from youth activists to fossil fuel executives
One last quick action for you – sign this petition from Vanessa Nakate, Helena Gualinga, Luisa Neubauer and Greta Thunberg telling fossil fuel CEOs:
This Cease and Desist Notice is to demand that you immediately stop opening any new oil, gas, or coal extraction sites, and stop blocking the clean energy transition we all so urgently need.
In love and rage,
The XR Oxford Crew