Friends join march to Downing Street over cost-of-living crisis
‘We were there to make a positive point: to say there is a good alternative. Talking truth to power is a very Quakerly thing.'
Friends were among those who marched to Downing Street last month to take a stand against the climate emergency and cost-of-living crisis.
In a rally of thousands, protesters carried their energy bills as a sign of their anger. Many people at the march have pledged to refuse to pay their bill.
Phil Laurie, from Westminster Meeting, and member of Canterbury Extinction Rebellion, told the Friend that the gathering was ‘noisy and lively and closed off Whitechapel – they had to move the location of the news conference when Liz Truss announced the sacking of Kwasi Kwateng’.
Overall, there was a ‘positive atmosphere’, he said, with between 4,000 and 5,000 taking part. ‘We were there to make a positive point: to say there is a good alternative. Talking truth to power is a very Quakerly thing. We made our point and it’s important that people realise that not everything is about getting arrested, and that you can do other actions. The important thing is that we contribute and everyone is welcome.’
He added: ‘The climate crisis and the cost-of-living are interconnected. It is dependence on fossil fuels which has led to the climate crisis and the huge bills we’re paying.’
Christians attended the march under the banner of Christian Climate Action, while members of the group helped block roads so the march could make its way through the capital.
Quaker Rajan Naidu also took part in the march on 14 October. The seventy-two-year-old was imprisoned for breaking an injunction at the Kingsbury Oil depot. Phil Laurie received a suspended sentence for the same action.
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