First proposed in the January of 2019 in the wake of Extinction Rebellion’s highly successful “Rebellion Day” five bridges protest in November 2018, ‘XR East Suffolk and Ipswich’ had their first official meeting in February 2019 at the Dove pub just days after the MET recorded a temperature of 20.6C on the hottest winter day in Britain on record. At the meeting were some dozen or so passionate, but newly-minted rebels from across the East Suffolk region (many who’d travelled to Ipswich specially for the event) ranging in age from 12 to 82 (approx.) with a pretty even split between men and women, all united in common concern for the escalating climate crisis we saw – and increasingly see – unfolding around us.
The Suffolk dawn chorus hollowed out and depleted. Butterflies no longer swarming buddleia bushes. Stag beetles only seen when crushed under car wheels. Air pollution outside schools. Summer droughts and failing farmland.
But it doesn’t have to be like this! Things may be getting worse, but there is still enough time to save some of our beautiful wildlife and local species! But only if we ACT NOW.
Since our founding we have grown to some 20 to 50 active, contributing members, including those who can go to protests in person to those raising awareness via social media and online campaigning. We have marched, sung and danced in and around Ipswich, and in London; We have met with local council members; leafleted in the streets; protested with giant papier-mâché animals, demo’d, protested, marched, and even had theatrical actions. Many of us have also happily added our numbers to protests by our fellow rebels in Cambridge, Norwich and Bury St. Edmund’s. Our email list exceeds 700 recipients, with some 1,000 people at the time of writing who like or follow our Facebook page. We are growing, but we want to grow faster to match the scale of the issue we are all presented with – so please join us!