Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists blocked more than a dozen Amazon warehouses across the UK as Black Friday protests caused severe disruption to drivers.
The activist group tweeted that it was locking down fulfillment centers at 13 locations across the UK, including Manchester, Bristol, Tilbury in Essex and Dartford in Kent.
The group posted a video of the blockade in Dartford, where six protesters were filmed holding a banner reading: “Black Friday exploits people and the planet.”
Amazon has been criticized for its treatment of its employees, with 1,000 ambulance calls to UK warehouses since 2018 and 178 calls to its Tilbury site, where a worker died in the process. this month.
Its impact on the environment from the push and distribution of cheap goods has also been criticized in the past.
In 2018, the Amazon emitted 44.4 million tons of carbon dioxide – larger than Switzerland’s carbon footprint.
XR Northampton tweeted: “Amazon Milton Keynes blocked by Bedford insurgents and Northants in solidarity with #MakeAmazonPay strikers and Climate Activists everywhere. #MakeAmazonPay #AmazonCrime. #ExtinctionRebellion. ”
Police are addressing protests at an Amazon warehouse in Tilbury, Essex, where further disruption is expected in the coming hours.
XR plans to stay in Essex’s warehouse for 48 hours, where it is using concrete locks, bamboo structures and trucks to block access, while a person dressed like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos rides a rocket called “Amazon Crime”.
Essex Police tweeted: “We are dealing with a protest outside an Amazon warehouse in Windrush Road, #Tilbury and engaged with those on the scene to ensure it remains safe.
“However, we do anticipate disruption during the morning rush hour and we ask motorists to account for some delays.”
The protest group claims they targeted Amazon because they think it is “responsible” for the destruction of the environment.
The purpose of the protest is to disrupt Amazon’s business on one of the biggest shopping days of the year in order to force the global giant to change its “highly climate-destructive business practices”. .
XR South East UK tweeted: “ExtinctionRebellion shut down #AMAZON fulfillment centers across the UK and Europe on #BlackFriday demanding that they be held accountable for the damage they caused to #PeopleAndPlanet. #InfiniteGrowthFinitePlanet. ”
Protesters arrived at an Amazon distribution center near Bristol at 4am and “locked down” the bamboo towers and scaffolding structure, completely blocking two access roads to the site.
A road near Manchester Airport run by an Amazon warehouse was also closed due to protesters.
Transport for Greater Manchester has advised motorists to look for alternative routes away from Sunbank Lane.
Darlington Center was also the target of a small group of protesters who gathered in the middle of the driveway as it rained.
The protests have sparked a backlash on social media with critics of the disruption, making arguments similar to those widely circulated as Insurance campaigners He blocked the roads around London.
One person tweeted: “Agree with saving the climate… but you need community support for the government to care.
“Blocking the road only annoys the people and damages the goodwill of the public (especially those who are working[e] taxes pay your benefits). ”
Another wrote: “That’s it guys, I’m sure that will get the public’s attention. Nothing gets the public’s support like stopping us from coming and going to work…. ”
Likewise, another tweeted: “It’s all done to be an inconvenience when so many ordinary working-class warehouse workers and truck drivers are trying to get home or to work.
“I don’t need that after 50 hours a week! I agree with saving the climate but these actions are only driving people like me away from your goals.”
Amazon’s own figures from 2020 reveal that the group’s carbon footprint has increased 19% year-on-year despite the global shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, BristolLive reported.
Amazon’s operations emitted the equivalent of 60.64 million tons of carbon dioxide in 2020, compared with 51.17 million tons in 2019.
The company pledged in 2019 to become net zero by 2040, but XR activists say there’s “no evidence of how to get there, and the commitment doesn’t include Amazon’s supply chain.”
Chris, a former Amazon employee, said taking action against the company was “absolutely necessary”.
“We can no longer live in a system based on manipulative overconsumption coupled with continued economic growth, destructive at the expense of people and the planet,” he told LBC. .
“Amazon’s entire business model is based on growth. As its empire grew, so did its emissions, but workers still feared the organization was against it.
“Amazon’s alliance-sabotaging tactics need to end and it’s time for Amazon’s workers to be given an appropriate say in how their company is run.”
The protests come as the Government moves forward with plans to significantly cut campaigners’ rights to protest.
It has argued that a crackdown on protests is needed to protect the public from severe disruption caused by the “reckless and selfish tactics” of eco-activists.
Climate change protesters have “crossed the line”, Trafford Home Secretary Baroness Williams argued yesterday as she launched a demand for a range of changes to the Police, Crime Bill , Sentencing and Courts in response to actions by Insulate England and others to shut down major transport networks.
These include tougher sentences for blocking cars and roads as well as allowing police officers to stop and search anyone at a protest “without suspicion”. for items used to prevent a person from moving, known as “door locks”.
Individuals with a history of serious disturbances also face court bans from attending certain protests.
