Royal Rebellion for climate action planned on October 12
“Bring a chair and join Extinction Rebellion for its first mass non-violent civil disobedience action in Belgium! Together we’ll occupy the gardens of the Royal Palace in Brussels on Saturday 12th October, inviting the King to declare a state of Climate and Ecological Emergency in Belgium.
Every inhabitant of Belgium is invited to take part in a comprehensive program of Popular Assemblies, where we will debate how Belgium should respond to the climate and ecological crisis.” states the Extinction Rebellion’s press release.
NO NEUTRAL ZONE ON A DEAD PLANET
All citizens of Belgium are invited to bring a chair and to peacefully occupy the Royal Palace of Brussels by participating in people’s assemblies on Saturday 12th October. These assemblies will be held in the garden at the entrance to the Royal Palace (Place des Palais 6, between the gates overlooking the square and the palace itself).
This is the first in a series of large-scale non-violent civil disobedience actions in Brussels organised by Extinction Rebellion Belgium through spring 2020. These actions follow the example set by Extinction Rebellion UK in April 2019 in the city of London.
Since the garden is located inside the palace grounds in the so-called “neutral” zone, where all demonstrations are prohibited, participating in these popular assemblies constitutes an important twofold political act.
Firstly, it is an act of deliberate civil disobedience which directly addresses the King, thereby condemning the failure of the Belgian political authorities to confront the climate and ecological emergency.
Secondly, it is an act of civic duty, through which citizens undertake without delay to remedy the obvious shortcomings of their governments and to demonstrate the existence of a political alternative: one which could effectively tackle the crisis without undermining our democratic and human rights.
Throughout the occupation, some twenty assemblies will be held in parallel, each welcoming between 30 and 50 people. Each assembly will discuss a particular aspect of what should be done in Belgium to address the climate and ecological emergency. The meetings will last as long as necessary to discuss all these issues in depth, continuing until the next day if necessary.The topics of discussion and schedules will be published in the coming weeks.
Anyone who wishes to join the action is invited to fill out this registration form and to bring a chair to the Royal Palace in Brussels on Saturday 12th October.
AN APPEAL TO THE SOVEREIGN
By inviting citizens to exercise their sovereign democratic power in the garden of the Royal Palace, this non-violent action repudiates elected political powers, who have failed in their duties, and addresses the King directly. This action is a call for a new democratic system capable of responding to the crisis.
Aware of the extraordinary nature of this request, we call on the King to step out of His constitutional reserve, to publicly acknowledge the true gravity of the situation, and to declare a state of climate and ecological emergency in Belgium. With this bold and exceptional act the King can set in motion the implementation of a climate, ecological, and social action plan that is genuinely commensurate to the urgency of the moment.
For more information about the action: https://www.extinctionrebellion.be/docs/Royal-Rebellion-Press-Release-201909.pdf
