We no longer present Greta Thunberg and the school climate strikes that the young Swedish activist initiated in November 2018. Five years later, Fridays for future became an international youth movement, still active. Their last day of mobilization dates back to September 15 and was echoed in 18 cities in France.
Above all, Fridays for future has made small ones. Particularly on the parents’ side, with the launch, in summer 2022, of Mothers’ Rebellion for climate justice – the Mothers’ Rebellion for climate justice. This week again, as part of the international action campaign to demand an end to fossil fuels, these mothers sought to make themselves heard, in a non-violent way, by sitting in a circle, as they are accustomed to doing. . And for the first time, French women are there. Four events are planned this Saturday in Paris, Lille, Tours… And Lorient, where Arnica, mother of a 2-year-old boy and member of the local group‘Extinction Rebellion (XR), seeks to start the movement. She responds to 20 minutes.
Where did this Mothers’ Rebellion for climate justice movement start?
It’s not easy to trace. The original idea would come from California, during the summer of 2022. But at the same time, in Sweden, mothers had already started to demonstrate, sitting in a circle. The movement gradually spread to around twenty cities across the country before becoming known beyond borders via social networks, but also via the various Extinction Rebellion groups. [autre mouvement social écologiste] with whom Mothers’ Rebellion is very close.
From the end of 2022, the first mothers’ sittings took place in Great Britain, Germany and the United States. Then very quickly in South Africa and Zimbabwe, where the movement took off well. THE May 13, for the first major day of joint actions of the Mothers’ Rebellion, circles were formed in around sixty cities in 21 countries, on six continents. 1,500 mothers took part, half of them in Sweden.
But none in France at the time?
No. We have been working on creating the French branch of Mothers’Rebellion since the end of July, and it only saw the light of day this week in the end. There are surely several reasons for this somewhat late start. In France, we have been very busy in recent months with social news, in particular the pension reform against which, at XR, we have mobilized a lot. There is also a repression of climate protests in France that is not found in many other countries. In Britain and Sweden, the Mothers’ Rebellion come with their children. They let them play inside the circles. This is unthinkable for us. We all remember how the demonstration against the mega-basins in Sainte-Soline (Deux-Sèvres) degenerated last March. Finally, culturally, this gathering around mothers sometimes poses a problem in France. Some, among climate activists, consider them too non-inclusive. Some feminist activists also find it too reductive. .
Is that the case ? Do you have to be a mother to take a place in the circles formed by Mothers’ Rebellion?
No way. The Mothers’ Rebellion always use the word “Mothers” with a capital “m”. We refer to the universal dimension of the term: those who take care. Children, others, the Earth. It includes mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, grandmothers and all their allies. And by allies, it could very well be men. Besides, there will be some with us in Lorient on Saturday. They are welcome, as long as they share our concern for future generations.
This is the common denominator of these rebellious mothers: this growing fear of the future they are leaving for their children. And even, for some, this fear of simply doing it. Faced with these questions, many mothers feel isolated, hesitant to participate in militant actions that are legally risky or which could degenerate. Despite everything, we want to make our voices heard, to also press our leaders so that they immediately take measures to meet the climate challenges and prepare a just transition. We want to be able to look our children in the eyes later and tell them that we did not look away from the climate crisis, that we tried to do what we could to make things happen.
Where will the Mothers in Rebellion be on Saturday in France?
Last Saturday, there were already two actions in Toulouse and Auxerre. Four new ones are organized this Saturday in Lorient, Lille [où elle s’appelle Parent’s Rebellion], Paris and Tours. Each of these groups communicates in its own way. We decided, in Lorient, to provide as much information as possible even if we chose not to request authorization from the prefecture. The action will take place at 4:00 p.m., Place Aristide-Briand.
The idea is always the same: a peaceful, non-violent demonstration for one hour if we are not dispersed first by the police. We sit in a circle, facing outwards, holding up signs on which each person will write the messages that are important to them. We will also have a blank stock of cardboard boxes on which passers-by who wish can write and join us. The importance is not to convince at all costs, but at least to make people think. We will be at least 25. Last Saturday, in Toulouse, there were 75. The hope is that this French branch will gradually gain strength. A new day of actions will be held on November 18, ten days before the opening of COP28 in Dubai.