Extinction Rebellion (Or XR for short) continue to make their voices heard in South Wales. The group staged a “Critical Mass Bike Ride” on 19 October, which saw protesters block road traffic around Cardiff Bay by intentionally cycling slowly.
XR has become infamous for its large displays of public disobedience. Back in July, the group blocked Castle Street in Cardiff with a boat for three days.
The demonstration attracted around several hundred protesters, with the primary focus “inadequate rate of change towards Active Travel in Cardiff and Wales” according to the group’s official Facebook page.
The event was run peacefully, and with the cooperation of South Wales Police.
Alt.Cardiff contacted a spokesperson for XR, Sian, to ask what the group is looking for from the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff specifically.
Sian said the group is looking for the Senedd to “tell the truth” regarding the severity of climate change, and for the assembly to declare a state of climate emergency.
She added that the inclusion of the group in a climate change conference held in early October was a solid step forward for the group in South Wales.
Welsh environment minister Lesley Griffith calls the group, “very committed people with some very good ideas.”
The group was invited to attend a Welsh Government organised climate change conference to share their views and ideas, in what the Senedd is calling a “collective response” to reduce carbon emissions in South Wales.
Lesley Griffiths told the Labour party conference, “The UK Committee on Climate Change are telling me that Wales can’t even do it by 2050, at the current time – and that’s why we were set a target of 95% reduction in emissions by 2050. However, we’ve said that we have the ambition to be net-zero.”