14 August 2020 | UK NEWS
Arrests have been made following acts of vandalism directed at several Party HQs by environmental activists.
Seven people were arrested by the police, who were called to the HQs of the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green Parties after pink paint was sprayed on the buildings and windows were broken.
The buildings were attacked on Thursday morning in Matthew Parker Street, Victoria Street, St Georges Street and Clements Road.
Out of the seven, five people were arrested after being accused of causing criminal damage and two others were held on suspicion of burglary.
A group called “Beyond Politics” have taken responsibility for the damage and originally released the images surrounding the vandalism on their Twitter account.
Their website states that their reason for doing so was:
“We are beyond f****d. The climate f*****y trumps everything. 2˚C average temperature rise is effectively locked in (that means we know it’s going to happen) and without an immediate, complete changing around of the global economy – away from “growth”, there will be mass starvation and the horrors which go with it (rape and death). The present system is incapable of change, so there needs to be mass political disruption. We are here to organise that. Let’s get on with it – with all our rage and all our wit.
This government is leading us into extreme violence and chaos that will result in the breakdown of our society. Our aim is to bring down the government and replace it with Citizens’ Assemblies – a modern, well-established and reliable democratic process: rule by the people for the people.
Citizens’ Assemblies are an ‘off the cuff’ tool for decision making, using a process of selection of assembly members called ‘sortition’. They are highly effective in gaining widespread consensus, when the problem is urgent and the way forward is controversial.
There are ways we can make a reasonable world for ourselves and our children, but we have to act today. Citizens’ Assemblies can establish the overall plan to do this, acting within the necessary time frame.”
The group have released a full confession on their website.
The group, which launched in June by stealing food from a Sainsbury’s supermarket to give to people for free in Camden, has strong ties with environmental action group Extinction Rebellion, who have been the cause of many shutdowns across London since last year. Former Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam joined the Beyond Politics party after he left Extinction Rebellion, and is now described by the former as “a driving force behind BP”.
Aside from its environmental action, Beyond Politics have stated that their sole main objective is to bring down the Government and replace it with Citizens’ Assemblies on a permanent basis, before then stepping back. According to their website, once they achieve this objective, “we are out”.
The notion of the overthrow of a government and its subsequent replacement by locally established Citizens’ Assemblies would appear to bear a striking resemblance to the initial structure of the ‘soviets’ (from the Russian ‘soviet’, meaning ‘council’), which sprang up during the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. It was these groups that ultimately lent their name to what was to become the wider Soviet Union.
A Liberal Democrat spokesperson responded to the situation by saying: “Failure to tackle the climate crisis is doing irreversible damage.
“That is why the Liberal Democrats are demanding the Prime Minister shows leadership by taking urgent action to implement a green recovery and reduce carbon emissions, protecting the planet for future generations.”
A Green Party spokesperson said: “The Green Party has been at the forefront of climate action for many years and will continue to drive forward a more democratic approach to politics which challenges climate and social injustice.
“This is a police matter and so we are unable to comment any further.”
