‘The demonstration is a good place to find spiritual seekers. Those involved care about a cause greater than themselves, and put their bodies on the line.’ Photo: Courtesy of Abigail Maxwell.
‘We show respect to everyone… We engage in no violence, physical or verbal, and carry no weapons.’
Many Quakers took part in the Extinction Rebellion protests in London this month. Abigail Maxwell was one of them
Extinction Rebellion (XR) has been in London over two weeks in October. There are Quakers there, speaking out against the wanton destruction of the biosphere. I went for five days, staying with a Friend in London.
Brave protesters camped. One told me that the police had moved him five times. One day, I saw officers guarding tents piled up like rubbish, poles broken. They dragged off tents with equipment, personal belongings, and even people inside.
It seemed sensible not to tell the police anything, because it seemed likely that they would want to subvert the demonstration. When one officer asked me about Quakers I told him of 1652 and of worship, but he wanted to know if Quakers approved of the action. He told me ‘We’re here to make sure people have a good time,’ and that his shift was long: from 4.30am to 10pm that day.
One officer, who told me I was not permitted to sit on the road, was courteous. But cycling at night I found another officer’s manner – stopping me to say I should wear a helmet – patronising and bullying. For others it is worse.
I moved, as instructed. Being arrested could be a significant problem for me. One Friend told me she had been held for eighteen hours alone in a cell, then released. Without bail conditions she could rejoin the protest. A man told me arrest was ‘great’: officers fed him and gave him blankets and pillows. He gave them a top score on TripAdvisor. I was sitting in a road elsewhere with two Friends. They were disappointed that they were unlikely to get arrested there, so they moved on to another site.
The demonstration is a good place to find spiritual seekers. Those involved care about a cause greater than themselves, and put their bodies on the line. With my XR Quaker banner hanging from my neck to my thighs, I had several conversations about spiritual matters. One man could not believe in a creator God but saw the value of an attitude of reverence. When asked: ‘What are Quakers, then?’ I explained, and often handed out copies of Advices & queries. If Meetings are ageing and shrinking, it is not for a lack of spirituality in the wider community.
The Rebellion follows spiritual practices. With Lao Tzu they say they ‘flow like water’ to where they are needed. They ask rebels to agree that: ‘We show respect to everyone… we engage in no violence, physical or verbal, and carry no weapons.’
Each day Quakers worshipped together. Where that happened was affected by the actions of the police. On Friday we worshipped north of the fountains in Trafalgar Square, with officers standing around, and the noise of a helicopter above. A mother nursed her baby while her toddler played quietly in the circle. She had a picture book called A is for Activist. Our banner read ‘Quakers for Climate Justice’. Another time, a Friend and I attached it to Nelson’s Column.
On Monday, Lambeth Bridge was closed by protesters. This was the place to which faith groups were assigned, and we worshipped at the corner of Millbank. I went for coffee with two Friends, but when I got back there were police across the bottom of Horseferry Road, not letting anyone pass. We stood and faced them. Then the ‘red rebels’, dressed all in red with faces painted white, processed slowly and silently to face the police. The similarity to contemplative prayer is clear. Buddhists made a meditation walk around the sites.
The following morning Lambeth Bridge was cleared, so I walked further along Millbank. By the Palace of Westminster we sat in the road, applauding when someone was arrested. Rebels brought tea, coffee and soup, and a sound system where Alex Sobel MP spoke and others sang or recited poetry. They asked if anyone had anything to say, and I quoted Advices & queries.
Police officers stood in a line across the road. While others drummed I danced with parents and children in front of them. Police worked methodically to clear a lane so that traffic could pass.
On Wednesday I heard that faith groups were meeting in Marsham Street. Here I found a crowd of tents, and hay bales to sit on in front of a microphone where a Buddhist taught meditation techniques.
Later I walked to Trafalgar Square, past Westminster Abbey, which had tents outside it, seeing two police horses in Parliament Square. It was wonderful to walk up Whitehall with no traffic. At one point police confronted protesters the width of the road.
Trafalgar Square could have been a festival, at its north side. I played a piano with a man joining in on clarinet. There was free food: steaming bowls of lentils and green veg to keep us going. I shared many hugs. In the faith area, where Meeting for Worship was held on Thursday, I met several vicars – one in a wheelchair – and a project manager from Kent County Council. She was dressed as if for lunch in the National Gallery. Her friends were praying for her, she said. That is dangerous: God may answer.
Nearby police officers cut the locks that protesters had attached to themselves, and used a cherry picker to bring one demonstrator down safely from a tower of crates. Crowds chanted for climate justice.
Retreating to the National Gallery I found a sensitive rebel by a Rembrandt self-portrait. He loved the beauty, and deplored the great hoarding of wealth. Like me, he can be in Heaven and Hell simultaneously.
Seeing the hope and determination, the community and love, I knew this was where God had called me. I could be there because of the love and support of Friends.
