The Red Rebel Brigade theatrical group crossed the country by train over three days as part of their silent and apolitical protest calling for immediate action against environmental destruction and pollution.
Their never before attempted train relay performance saw the Manchester Red Rebels slowly progress from Manchester Piccadilly Gardens to Manchester Piccadilly train station on Sunday, where they welcomed the other groups, who had travelled in by train, and received a banner from them which stated that the climate crisis was a “code red for humanity.”
Hester Cashdan from York Red Rebel Brigade, one of the campaigners handing out flyers, explained what radical change the performance created:
“It sheds light on the climate crisis by engaging the public with something that is visceral and large, and puts it in the public realm where people can physically respond to something that is non-violent and compelling.”
Surprised passengers at the busy station stopped to take pictures of the performance before the group continued towards Glasgow despite a delayed train amid the wet weather.
At Cop26 in Glasgow, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, governments and NGOs will gather to try and agree on actions that will tackle climate change. Antonio Gutterres, the Secretary-general of the UN, on 1 November day two of the summit, said:
“The six years since the Paris Climate Agreement have been the six hottest years on record. Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink… We face a stark choice. Either we stop it – or it stops us…
“Enough of brutalizing biodiversity, killing ourselves with carbon, treating nature like a toilet, burning, and drilling and mining our way deeper… We are digging our own graves.”
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Featured image: Noora Mykkanen