Why rebel
Why we take action
The world is in distress: the climate and nature crisis is threatening all life on earth. The government does too little to stop it and companies like Shell, Chemours and Tata Steel continue to pollute. We take action to force them to take responsibility. We demand that the government be honest about the crisis and do what is necessary, in a fair way for everyone.
Climate change is unconscionable assault on the poor.
~ Philip Alston, UN special rapporteur
Time is running out
Life on Earth is on the brink of disaster. We are in a mass extinction wave: 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. Meanwhile, the earth is getting hotter and hotter. To avoid the worst consequences, action is needed now.
Life on Earth is on the brink of disaster. We are in a mass extinction wave: 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction. Meanwhile, the earth is getting hotter and hotter. To avoid the worst consequences, action is needed now.
Unfair distribution
The catastrophic effects of the climate and nature crisis are already being felt. Every year, millions of people in poorer countries have to flee persistent droughts or floods. And that while they themselves have contributed almost nothing to the crisis.
The catastrophic effects of the climate and nature crisis are already being felt. Every year, millions of people in poorer countries have to flee persistent droughts or floods. And that while they themselves have contributed almost nothing to the crisis.
Government does too little
Governments are supposed to protect citizens from the climate and nature crisis and from injustice. In return, citizens abide by laws and rules. This is called the social contract. But the government does far too little to counter this crisis. Even the judge in climate case Urgenda established that. The social contract is broken. That’s why rebel. We demand protection and justice.
Governments are supposed to protect citizens from the climate and nature crisis and from injustice. In return, citizens abide by laws and rules. This is called the social contract. But the government does far too little to counter this crisis. Even the judge in climate case Urgenda established that. The social contract is broken. That’s why rebel. We demand protection and justice.
The realisation that we need the speed of a crisis has not yet dawned on us.
~ Marjan Minnesma, Urgenda director
Our strategy
We rebel against the government with civil disobedience: we organise disruptive and non-violent actions, deliberately break the law in the process, take responsibility for our actions and don’t let ourselves be turned away. We do this because protesting by the rules is too slow. Change is needed now.
Rebellion works
Civil disobedience is a non-violent form of rebellion. In the past, it has been repeatedly successful in achieving major and rapid change. For example, in the fight for women’s suffrage and the civil rights movement in the US, in which black Americans fought for equal rights. Or in the Netherlands in the protests against child deaths caused by cars in the 1970s to 1990s.
Why non-violence?
By peacefully breaking the law, we force the government and polluting companies to make a choice:
- You can ignore us, but we will continue with our disruptive actions.
- You can let the police drag us away, but cracking down on non-violent activists doesn’t look good in the media.
- You can take responsibility and do what we demand. And then our goal is achieved.
Long-term strategy
In early 2023, we defined the long-term strategy through 2025. In this strategy we focus on our 2nd demand ‘Do what is necessary’. To get the government and polluting companies to do what is necessary, we run long-term campaigns.
Does our strategy appeal to you? Read more about how you can get involved to reach a fair, liveable world.