Announcement Of New Prime Minister Disrupted By Supporters Of Animal Rebellion, Demanding A Plant-Based Future
At approximately 11:45 this morning, 4 individuals blocked road access to the Queen Elizabeth II Centre to prevent MPs from arriving for the announcement.
They are calling on the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, to immediately commit to their demands to support farmers in transitioning to a plant-based food system and a rewilding programme.
This comes after multiple days of nonviolent direct action at dairy facilities across the South and Midlands [1].
Ahead of the announcement of the new Prime Minister, several people blocked the road leading to the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre where Tory MPs will hear who their next leader will be. The action comes a day after Animal Rebellion began disruption at 4 key dairy distribution sites in the Midlands and South.
Ella Barrow, one of those taking action in London today, said: “This Tory leadership contest has been a grotesque display of precisely why we need complete political change and transformation towards a system that cares for all life. Regardless of who is announced as Prime Minister, we urgently need action on the climate and ecological emergencies. We need our government to adopt the twin solution of supporting farmers in transitioning to a plant-based food system, with a mass-rewilding programme on the land no longer required for inefficient animal farming. This would draw down huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, whilst restoring the beautiful British countryside we all desire.”
Animal Rebellion has stated that its supporters will continue to take nonviolent direct action until the British Government enters negotiations for its two demands:
1. Government supports farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.
2. Government commits to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.
Alex Giles, who is also taking action today, said: “Whilst Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have spent the last few months playing a popularity contest, millions of people across the UK have struggled to put food on their tables and pay their energy bills. We do not need a people-pleaser, we need a leader with the courage and boldness to lead us out of the cost-of-living, climate, and ecological crises and into a plant-based future. We know that the UK could feed its population more than 2 times over with a plant-based food system. This would not only lower the cost of food but also directly combat climate breakdown by absorbing harmful greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. Liz and Rishi, the world is watching what you do next.”
The action today comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on Monday 23rd of May [2]. The animal and climate group is calling for wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.
Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.
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