Climate Activist Jack Harries on Extinction Rebellion

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, just tell us, what is Extinction Rebellion? What is the — not the point, because we understand the point, but the sort of — the structure by which you want to demand change?

JACK HARRIES, FILMMAKER AND CLIMATE ACTIVIST: Extinction Rebellion is a nonviolent direct-action group. It’s formed of everyday people, teachers and parents, concerned parents and every day citizens really. It’s quite young. It was formed about eight months ago. And their vision is that direct-action is the only way to make change. The change necessary — that’s necessary that they want the government to declare a climate emergency.

And they have three main requests. One is that the government tell the truth, the other is that we achieve net carbon emissions by 2025, and the third is to form assistance assembly. And personally, for me, it’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in the environmental movement in my life.

AMANPOUR: You did you get arrested. I mean, you basically get arrested briefly. You glued your hands I think to, what? Tell me.

HARRIES: So, I was arrested a few weeks ago for supergluing my hands to the front doors of Intercontinental Hotel here in London, and that was a protest against the International Petroleum conference that was going on in London. I was arrested alongside nine other activists. And spent 13 hours in a cell. And yes, I didn’t — I definitely didn’t intend to be arrested that day. I was there just to support the protest but it just so happened I was arrested and I’m now facing criminal records and I’ve lost jobs as a result of it. So, it’s not something that I’m advertising. It’s not a sort of — you know, not sort of flashing it around but it’s something that happened as a result of myself taking actions.

AMANPOUR: So, that’s interesting because, you know, if it has these dire consequences and for a young man like yourself to say you’ve lost a job because of it, the point, though, is, sort of civil disobedience that inevitably does lead to these arrests, whether you look back at the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, whether Gandhi, I mean, all these places where you’re drawing inspiration. Arrest is kind of de rigueur.

HARRIES: Let’s say — yes. So, Extinction Rebellion was started by a man called Roger Hallam. He’s one of the core founders of it. And Roger has recently done a Ph.D. in direct action activism. He studies social movements for years. And it’s his belief that arrests are the single best way to take action to make the government make change.

And this week, we’ve seen 700 arrests, and 1,000 since Extinction Rebellion started. And it is having an impact, you know. And I think there are many people who are putting themselves on the line and putting their freedom on the line. These aren’t people who want to be arrested, who enjoy being arrested, but I think they are people who so desperate for change, who are so scared about the severity of the situation we’re in, which is climate change, that they feel this is the only action they can take. They feel this was necessary.