HOW NOT TO HOLD UP A GAS-STATION

THE STORY OF HOW A MOTHER AND SON FROM PENZANCE STAGED EXTINCTION REBELLION-S FIRST ACT OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IN WEST CORNWALL

A feral wind had blasted the sea and the land all night – ploughing waves into avalanches and sending spindrift explosions over the walls of Penzance and Newlyn harbours -  After about two hours sleep I awoke focused on the day that had finally come – the day I intended to get arrested – with my 84 year old mother – in a non-violent direct action over the climate-crisis which was to be a Cornish prelude to the International Rebellion Week that kicks off in London in two day-s time – 15^th April 2019 -  This is the Rebellion against the Extinction of life on Earth – which is where we are fast headed unless the World-s governments drastically slash carbon-emissions and other forms of pollution and we change the entire culture of human existence - - -

I had two nagging issues with this Direct Action – One was concern over the wellbeing of my mother – who I felt had let her conscience lead her into very difficult territory and the other was my background sense of guilt for neglecting my partner in activism – my brother Harold – the “Caged Crusader” of Florida – who languishes in prison – serving out his 165 year sentence for thieving – I took a copy of his first book – Department of  Corruption with me to read in the cell – I thought I would write him from the cell too – But things panned out differently -   I thought often of my friends in USA and how I had been meaning to write and explain to them about Extinction Rebellion – I have a lot of friends in Florida – where the Red Tide of algae has been killing myriad fish and making the beaches toxic – The reality is that the human rights and justice situation in the USA is so grim that all my friends there are focused on civil rights – justice – prisoner-s rights and police-brutality and murder -  This work – unpaid and often dangerous – demands everything and consumes vast amounts of time and energy – leaving little time for environmental activism for many people –

At eleven o-clock half a dozen of us congregated in the sharp wind to leaflet the people passing through the centre of Penzance – Our signs were in danger of flying off into the swirling sky – There was some interest and some indifference – Jane showed a great oratorical talent and proved that when you-ve really got something to say you don-t need no microphone!  There was good spirit between those present and if low-key the event was extremely heartfelt and sincere – It felt like we were literally calling to our neighbours – trying desperately to warn them of the danger the planet is facing from climate-chaos and general toxicity and so many people just do not want to hear that -  In today-s neutered culture we have long been conditioned to only trust messages that come from “official” channels – not those that are called out from the heart in the streets of our towns and cities -  

Due to the severity of the wind – there were not many punters around even though it was Saturday -  We did what we could and I think we certainly reached a few people and I hope we made another little ripple to spread through the minds of our friends and neighbours that perhaps there really is something to this climate-change business - - -

Well Verity showed up and as the demo unwound we hit the road for Eastern Green – on foot and buffeted by this wild prowling wind of the sea -  We crossed the road by the garage or “gas-station” that we intended to blockade and briefly mingled into a bus-queue so we could suss-out the situation before engaging in our action to combat the carbon-driven asphyxiation of our planet -  Then we walked onto the forecourt and stood in front of the pumps as a human-barricade -  After a brief quiet interlude things started happening fast – I think it was the very first car that I blocked that started the trouble – An elderly couple – the man seemed overwhelmed with fury at my obstructing his vehicle and simply kept driving right at me with no apparent intention of stopping -  Everything narrowed down to a windscreen rolling towards me as I shouted “stop” and I heard other voices shouting out – Just as the car was about to strike me I thumped the bonnet with my fist then held up my sign as a shield obscuring his view -  This finally stopped him from crushing me -  His wife looked very shocked – The old man jumped out and there were remonstrations and accusations of assault – His car had become a deadly weapon – My cardboard information-sign was the shield I had to protect myself from being crippled by his car -  From this point on things went from ugly to hideous via grotesquely eldritch – As the punters started rolling in – I soon found myself being driven at or fronted at by a big fat black four by four – This joker wasn-t going to stop either – He was already rolling down that lost highway -  This time I side-stepped at the last minute (it was Darwinism in action:  Adapt or Die) -  There was a sense of many things happening at once – Diane remonstrating with a violent motorist – Verity blocking her side of the lane with her FOSSIL FUELS KILL sign – People shouting abuse and insults – mocking and sneering -  Threats – Rednecks and hard-men – ugliness – some honking – As the assault started – the adrenalin clocked in and started work – We had spent weeks getting prepared for arrest – cellular-detention – talking with Babylon – going to court – speaking publicly about how the planetary-crisis drove our action – In my mum-s case she was preparing to face her greatest fear – the fear of being locked into a small space -  We thought we had prepared to meet the public – We had anticipated a level of abuse and hostility – We seriously underestimated the sheer ugliness of Mr Josef Public – We had not expected armed assault to be the very first reaction of these motor-head folks – The car as a weapon against a pedestrian is an unlovely phenomenon – An ignoble and crass cameo of where Homo sapiens has driven himself to in his little tin box – A mad ape in a mineral-chariot of death – Individual and planetary death – Death to pedestrians and little kids trying to cross the road – Death to innumerable myriad creatures of the wild – Death to birds insects women children and men – Death to air and plants – to solitude – peace – tranquillity and nature – Death death death conveyed to ye by the glorious automobile – Let-s all drop to our knees and kiss its little black exhaust-pipe -  

So anyway – I-ve never been too keen on cars -  My views have not changed –

The most extraordinary attack came from a fellow in a big car with his wife -  A short wide chap with a Yorkshire accent and surreal legs – They were as wide as a girl-s waist – bulbous – also taped-up – bandaged and hypnotic – “I-m disabled” he shouted aggressively as he waddled towards me with vicious and viscous intent gleaming reptilian in his unblinking yellow eye – “I-m disabled” came the Peter Kay voice “I-ve got to get to me doctor” he raged (I sensed he was lying) Even as I was telling V to let him through he was on me – A two-handed shove to the chest delivered with spluttering venom – The air was bristling with hatred and violence – Not at all like the meetings where people put their hands up to speak - - -

While all this silt was going down – another layer was developing as green-clad garage staff started emerging and interacting with us – Initially a couple of them had tried to lay hands on me but I told them that constituted criminal assault and they had no such right -  Suddenly twenty year old garage-workers were trying to argue law with me -  I-m not a formally trained lawyer but I know that a Morrison-s employee has no right over anyone else-s sovereignty – no matter if they be standing on the garage forecourt -  I managed to get them to unhand me – but five of them kept trying to surround me and impede my movement – Their effort was only half-hearted though and I could side-step them and continue to discourage cars from entering the pump-area –

At one point there was a backlog of motors trying to enter the garage and some hooligans were starting to congregate – One of the personages who threatened me repeatedly said he would assault me if I blocked anybody-s car from entering -  I did briefly explain to him about the imminent extinction of animal life on Earth but it did nothing to lessen his hatred as he then suggested I should be hung from a nearby tree by those present - 

Still shaked and slaked with adrenalin after the two car-assaults and the crazy toad-man – I was being constantly heckled and questioned by the gang of garage staff -  It did not taste nice –

Slike in USA when a fascist drove his car into a protester at North Carolina and killed him and Chump said there was “fault on both sides” there was outrage upon the nation – Well the same thing nearly happened right here in sleepy little old Cornwall – It would have been Blood On The Forecourt – or just simply Red Asphalt - - -  Happily all our blood stayed inside our veins on the 13^th but there was definitely a slight level of risk and threat – plus a great deal of hostility and aggression –

We are all primates of the ego and I too was trying to impose my will – my dream – on these other primates – these other wilful and egoic dreamers with their own wishes – impulses and – er – drives -  By going against the established behaviour-pattern of these other primates I was violating an unwritten code of the somnambulists – never challenge the basic reality – never try to wake the dreamers – they will turn and rend ye – They will not thank you – they will slag you down (sorry:  They will slag I down)  They will mock I and I and their feet that never touch the earth shall stamp down upon their accelerators –

During the first car-attack I briefly sat down in front of the vehicle but instantly started getting cramp in my legs – and started hopping and limping around for a few moments as I could hear the green-clad garage staff instantly accusing me of trying to fake an injury from the car-impact! 

I remember turning to Verity at one point and saying “Where are the cops~”  I had thought they would be there in ten to twenty minutes but it seemed more like an hour before they finally “deployed” –

The lynch-mob mentality was probably defused by the arrival of the law-enforcement and I think we were both relieved to see them -  They were two ladies – apparently in their twenties and extremely courteous – friendly and polite – They were wearing body-cameras which they pointed out to me and I did not object to – I have noticed a change in police-policy – They seriously do try to act nice these days – At least where possible -  I base this on another incident when I recently saw them handling a seriously drunken man with extreme sensitivity – care and patience – I stress this because over the years I have been extremely critical of the British police – but only when they have killed – tortured or mutilated unnecessarily and I have felt compelled to address and publicize their crimes – I-ve written  copiously about police-violence and written countless letters to MPs and police-chiefs about this issue in the past so I am happy to report that “on the ground” or in the “street” their way of conducting themselves (in my miniscule experience) has evolved into a much warmer and more seemingly humane approach –

The first thing the two WPC-s did was to approach the knot of half a dozen or so garage-workers and management types in suits and start by getting their side of the story -  Even though I heard one of them perjure himself and lie about me right away – Saying I had been “jumping on cars” and had pushed him – I suppose he would rather have seen me go under that car – All physical contact was at the initiation of Mr Garyage and his diminutive yet weighty pal who initially laid hands on me before I vocally repelled them – bla bla bla –

The lady-cops explained the position as they saw it and discussed it with us – They showed concern for my mother who was very cold and no-doubt in shock by this point – She-s 84 and a bitter wind was raging – I had tried numerous times – including on the way to the garage – to try to talk her out of doing the action with me – and had some very serious concerns over it – but ultimately I felt I had no right to try to stop a fellow-activist who was on-board with the greater mission of Extinction Rebellion – from offering her contribution to a project that might give her grandchildren and their grandchildren a fair chance of living in a world with air to breathe – birds to sing and food to eat – In this movement everyone takes personal responsibility and no-one can forbid the action of another – only advise against it – How could I reject an extremely zealous and dedicated comrade – particularly when she was the only one~  I almost think that if I had cancelled the action she would have gone up there and done it on her own anyway!  She knew that was the basis I was working on – I announced the action some weeks back and I would do it alone if necessary but preferably with support – as is the whole basis of XR – a sophisticated support-system for social-reform –

So anyway – after a friendly chat we agreed that Verity should be driven home in the police-car – My advice was that she had achieved our aim and was now getting cold and enough was enough – Everyone was happy when she agreed to accept the HM Gov taxi home and I was extremely relieved that she was heading for warmth – comfort and quietness – She is usually a soft-spoken person who loves rose-gardening and literature – I know this experience was of Biblical proportions to her and I will forever after see her in a luminous nimbus of respect for what she did!  (The things you have to do to earn your kid-s respect these days!) 

So anyway – before the cops took her home they discussed the situation with me – I explained to them that my mother and I were slightly different cases and that I wanted her to go home but I wished to stay put and carry on with the “demonstration” as they were calling it -  They very patiently explained that they were very happy for me to stand “just over there” where I would not be obstructing any traffic and that I could carry on my “protest” over there -  I responded by saying I thought I would probably just continue to stand right where I was and asked them what was likely to happen if I pursued that course of action - - - They took an unusually lenient approach – I thought – when they said they would leave and that if there were further complaints about my activity then the “response might be different” – which I took for a euphemism for probable arrest -  I have to say I found them extremely fair and tolerant – extraordinarily so -  Possibly because they had orders to avoid giving publicity to the International Rebellion if reasonably possible -  On reflection though there was something I was not overly happy about and that was their response to the assaults -  They had responded well when I gave them what I call the Bug Rap – which is the heart-breakingly simply arithmetic behind the insect-decline which is at a global-rate of 2 and a half per cent per annum – which means that at current rates of “progress” all insects will be extinct in 40 years time and therefore so will be most of animal and plant life – The cop-ladies listened to this patiently and seemed to understand the alacrity of what I was explaining – The garage-folks were huddled quietly in a knot nearby – cowed by the presence of “authority” – transmuted from a jeering – taunting mob of wannabe vigilantes into a submissive group of obedient “good citizens” – giving false-evidence against the crazy-man covered in sticky weed “jumping onto cars” -  Crazy days in Cornwallfornia - - -

But when I had reported the two assaults with car (assault with a deadly weapon – as I explained to them) and the one by hands – plus the several threats of violence – her response – when I asked if they would seriously investigate these crimes – was that they could only “crime” them (cop-speak for log a crime for possible investigation) if I gave my name – Since I said I preferred to do that “later in the process” they said they could not investigate without my name so it was up to me -  Fair enough – I initially thought – But later I thought differently -  To me the car-weapon – when used as such – is no different from the knife-weapon or gun-weapon – In British law – intent of use makes an object into a weapon -  Thus a car driven rapidly towards a non-violent protester is a weapon – Well consider that the garage was continuously filming the area with their hidden-cameras – we had our own camera-lady with us for part of the action – and no-doubt some of the drivers and passengers and hangers-on were filming us -  So there is plenty of film-evidence of two counts of assault with a deadly weapon -  If the footage showed two counts of someone waving a knife in another person-s face would the cops have said they would only proceed if the victim came forward and gave their name~  Obviously not – because the victim might be dead -  Or the victim might be reluctant to come forward because of their own involvement in criminal gang-type activities – However – none of that should stop the investigations of a police-force ostensibly committed to opposing and eliminating armed-crime -  They would act on the evidence regardless and find the victim anyway -   The recorded footage shows the car number-plates so these thugs are within reach – Personally I think the cops showed an unwillingness to look at the assaults and were mainly concerned with smoothing things over – I am left with a slight dilemma -  Identifying myself to the cops is a mere formality as they know who I am – I advertised the action in the public domain after all – under my own name -  So it-s up to me whether or not I pursue actions against those three men who assaulted me as the police seem unwilling to act on the evidence on their own initiative – Again – they understand that a court-case over this incident would feed massive publicity back to the message of Extinction Rebellion and that is not yet the wish of the “authorities” -   On one hand I feel that justice should be applied and that hypothesis would oblige me to pursue the prosecutions – On the other hand a triple-court case sounds like a hell of a lot of work that I could honestly do without -  Perhaps this should come back to the root of Non-Violent Direct Action – Ahimsa – the ancient Hindu concept of a loving-kindness that leads to compassionate action -  Perhaps I should use those three ruffians as the objects of contemplation and try to feel some compassion and love towards them – I feel that might be the best way of “winning” and that is what I will try to do – (I make no promise to succeed and I can-t “fake-it”) – If NVDA is to remain pure it-s good to remember the roots –

Sometimes it feels like a cat and mouse game of chess with the cops – They know I can make a fuss and demand those assault-investigations if I want to and I know that – although they drove away giving the impression that no further action would be taken without further complaint – they could still look at the footage – take possession of the footage from the garage and – if they so wished – build some kind of case against me as a method of cooling my free speech -  Considering the political climate (and the fact that I am innocent of crime) I do not expect them to pursue me and I intend to deal with my “haters” through meditative means rather than legal ones – Nothing would give me more joy in the world than to be able to befriend someone who once hated me –

So eventually I bade farewell to my mother and thanked her warmly for her amazing fortitude -  I remember her telling the cops how she had struggled to bring me into the world and did not want to see me go under a car!  Her own mother had been born in a Tibetan monastery to English missionaries and had rode round Labrador in a dog-sleigh as a child – On my father-s side they were Vikings -  

Mum rolled home in the cop-car and suddenly it was very quiet – The cops had gone – my comrade had gone – our camera-lady had gone – the gang of garage-workers had gone – most of the aggressive motorists with their insults had gone -  the forecourt was almost empty – I was there alone – What now~ I wondered –

There was a lull in the traffic – it went very quiet – everything seemed to slow down -  Partly this must have been the contrast with the frenetic activity – violence and mayhem of just before -  As the occasional car rolled in I tried to block it but I was too small and they could simply weave round me -  I could not prevent them -  For a moment I thought I should up the ante and do something more dramatic just to get hauled away and get it over with – But then I reassessed the situation and thought we had already made quite a statement and I could not realistically do anything more alone – Why not save the government-hotel for another day and go and see how mum-s doing and get a cup of tea -  That seemed so eminently sensible that I folded my sign and walked away -  Happily the staff did not come out to jeer me off –

I walked on down the highway and soon found myself singing – it happened to be that old Irish song Dicey Riley about an alcoholic prostitute of Dublin  - lovely song! 

Checking in with my mum – I found her doing not too bad – but still cold and definitely in shock like me – so I nipped down the road to the offie and got a quarter bottle of cognac and she had some in her barley-cup -  I made sure she had food and drink and we talked a bit but we were both pretty fazed and she was going to relax in the bath so we parted after I told her again how highly I thought of her for her bravery in such horrible circumstances and her real dedication to the cause of a healthy planet - 

What did we learn from the action~  Always consider a “clothing-margin” – in other words imagine that it will be colder – hotter – wetter than your wildest imagining – because it might be!  We were under-prepared for the savage wind that came that day bringing the roughest seas I had seen in over a year - 

Camera-crew is absolutely vital for evidence-gathering -  At least two – though preferably three trained operatives needed for any direct action –

Actions should be conducted with other participants – Acting in pairs is not advisable in potentially combatitive situations – The danger or risk level of an action should be evaluated and an appropriate number of activists decided upon – The action should only go forward when this number of dedicated activists has been achieved and promised –

Don-t worry too much about the police harming you – It-s Joe Public who is probably more likely to do you over in these situations – The police might not be much amused by anarchic displays of planet-politics and civil disobedience but at the same time they know that violence against the movement will only increase public sympathy – solidarity and membership – If they can facilitate peaceful protest then it is obviously in the public interest that they do so and there has been progress on this front -  Also police tend to be well-informed on social issues and may – individually and “off-duty” – feel sympathy to a movement aiming at saving the world from the terrors of an unstable climate and a toxic environment – Many police personnel have children or even grand-children of their own and naturally want these youngsters to inherit a world that is inhabitable –

We learned that the public may not react well to being interrupted in their business and that violence may be their first – rather than their last resort -  The nature of the “target” should be carefully considered in advance – Some “targets” – in the sporting sense of the word – offer a lower level of risk of violence or strong aggression than others -  Careful evaluation should precede all and any actions –

As the union-organizers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century knew only too well – it-s all about being Organized!  There is no better medicine for the distress caused by climate-chaos than taking action – When we grieve and mourn we merely emote – necessary for sure but it does not change the world – When we step from the abstract world of thought and discussion and internet conversation into the 3D world of the streets and start taking action – in whatever form we find best – then a line has been crossed into new territory and even the smallest action taken is vastly therapeutic and healing -  From then on we have gone from being theorists and talkers to getting personally involved and thus becoming activists –

Again I think of my friends in USA who work so hard for justice in the face of such repression and State-violence -  Of Harold Hempstead – the prison-activist who risked his life to reveal the story of a Muslim prisoner steamed to death in a torture-chamber in a Florida prison – And the others who were starved to death there at Dade – Also of the other activists who are free and working so hard for those who are not – like the schizophrenics doing ten-year stretches in solitary-confinement and wearing leg-irons that leave suppurating sores on the ankles – I-m also thinking of how cool the police were here in Cornwall – in Britain – compared to what would have happened in most places – like USA for instance -  In all probability we would have been violently arrested – put on the ground – put in a county-jail to await trial for perhaps over a year in an environment where we could be raped or die from battery – or being too hot – or too cold – or too dehydrated – and all this before even standing trial -  So I consider myself lucky to live in Britain where the level of State-violence and oppression is considerably lower than USA – Though I also remember my British activist friends – I-m talking about the ones who are fighting for justice after being bereaved or mutilated by the police here in Britain – Not everyone here has been as fortunate as me in their dealings with the police and I would never want to play down the stories of my friends who have lost their brothers or sons or daughters to the brutal hands of the State -  So far I consider myself lucky but I wonder for my fellow climate-activists in Extinction Rebellion who will be in London tomorrow – 15^th April 2019 – to start the week-long International Rebellion that will bring London to a halt and send Britgov a little wake-up call –

Post Script – Two days later and the storm is still raging – in fact it-s getting worse – These great storms of the sea usually used to come in December or January but here we are on 15^th April and the storm is getting worse - - - - -  One hour ago the Rebellion started in London – I wish heartfelt feelings of success to all those who are out in the streets of our capital – struggling to get climate-chaos put firmly at the top of the government-s agenda -  I believe we must all do whatever we can to help this process along -  Not so long ago I was in Truro – Cornwall – at the Funeral For Extinct Species and I heard one of the inspiring speakers there mention the fact that in the recent past you would expect to have a lot of insects splattered on your windscreen after a summer-drive but now you no longer have this occurring -   Well I learned at the garage two days ago that if you bug motorists they will happily try and squash you like a bug and you might find yourself splattered across their windscreen like a cadis-fly of old -  

As we go forward with the XR campaign there will be many things to learn – If our dedication to peaceful and non-violent activity remains strong then we can achieve far more than we yet realize -  We can be a real voice for nature and for the survival of the planet – and not just a voice but a helping hand – or rather a vast forest of helping hands – stretching round the World – reaching out to connect with each other and cooperate in protecting the World – the myriad life-forms – the endless fruition of nature – the life – the life of the planet – the very life -