Will there be violent climate protest?

Disclaimer: I am not calling for violence. I abhor violence. Violence often leads to counter-violence. Peace must be the ultimate goal.

The protests for proper climate policy are primarily peaceful. And this is good. But what have they achieved? Is it enough? Is it fast enough? Or do we need violent climate protest or even a violent revolution?

25 years for what

The day before writing this, I was at a protest against the future far-right government in Austrian. It was peaceful, great to be there.

But it was the 25th anniversary. 25 years of peacefully protest. What did they achieve?

To be accurate, the extreme far-right party FPÖ wasn’t in power all the years, and the protest are mainly against them. However, the second far-right party, ÖVP, has been in power for over 40 years.

What does this have to do with climate protests?

The far-right parties do not care about environment or climate. They do not care about anything but themselves. So they do not care about the peaceful protest against them or protests for a future.

Peaceful climate protest

Fridays For Future, Last Generation and Extinction Rebellion are some examples of protest groups that fight peacefully for better or even any climate policies. But what did their protests achieve?

Well, not nothing. The climate crisis was all over the media for some time, green parties got a push only to lose at the following elections, and the EU, USA, and others now have or had a green deal.

Is it enough? No!

The far right is on the rise nearly everywhere, powered by the fossil industry. While I believe or want to believe it is a last gasp of our current system using all it has to prevent the inevitable end, I ask myself, is peaceful protest all we can do? OR should we start violent climate protest?

Or how long will activists, scientists or normal people stay peaceful, when they are treated like shit and see how the politicians, oligarchs and the media drive us to collective suicide?

Will some get violent climate protesters because they see no other way to defend themselves, to save their lives?

Blocking streets is not violent climate protest

Some may say blocking streets is already violent. But the only violence I see is from the car drivers and the police. And later on the justice system that imprisoned many activists for several years. And of course, the violent speeches from politicians who call the protesters terrorists while real terrorists kill hundreds and thousands of people in other places.

I have a feeling that the people in charge want to provoke violent climate protest with their words and actions. So they can fight the violent climate protesters and not the climate crisis. Because they can’t handle the latter, and they know if they really want effective climate policies, they have to hurt their donors. It is much easier and more comfortable for them to hurt the violent climate protesters.

They need the protesters to distract from their failing climate policies, like far-right parties need terrorists to distract from their failing migration and security policies. Climate activists are the perfect bogeyman.

The spirits I called

We have far too often experienced what happens if you call out a group of to be violent terrorists. Some of them become terrorists.

Since violence itself is bad, and it would help the wrong politicians, it’s a simple solution: No violent climate protest!

But we are not getting anywhere. At least not fast enough. And weren’t the French and the American Revolution violent as fuck, but had nevertheless a great outcome? Shouldn’t we get weapons and throw the powerful into the prisons?

While I completely understand these thoughts because they are mine, writing this blog got me to the conclusion, no. Violence typically leads to counter-violence, and the politicians and the fossil fuel industry have the power. Furthermore, the Russian revolutions were violent as fuck, and where did they lead them?

Get up your ass

What shall we do then? Well, forget the weapons and get up your ass.

You don’t even have to glue yourself onto the streets. But go protesting, go online, and support the protesters. Go on social media and debunk and crush the stupid comments from climate crisis deniers and trolls. Donate. Go on Reddit or Discord to find like-minded people. Go to town hall meetings or other official meetings where you can raise your voice. Vote for the parties who have the best climate policies and if there are none found one.

Join the parties, join the protests, organize strikes, make art.

Show the people how much better the world would be if we had a system for the planet and for the people. Not the shit we have right now.

If you are not satisfied with the current policy. Do something. Nothing will change if you do nothing.

It will be hard

I am currently considering joining a party. I never wanted this, and I am still not convinced that is the right move for me. But I realize, it is not enough.

I know it will be hard, that our enemies have greater power and much more money. In fact, there is only one thing we can do. Become a majority, a loud majority, and force the politicians to do better.

Furthermore, It is hard because we also need to convince people who still think the current system of fossil-fuels-driven capitalism is great.

After all, we only have this one planet, and we need everyone to prevent it from sinking.

The good thing is, that the majority already wants better policies. Now we have to get them to make some noise.

So get up your ass and fart, and then do something for a better system.