🦋 We Are All Crew site information

Starting on 7th October, for two weeks, Extinction Rebellion is calling an International Rebellion. Together, we’ll peacefully occupy the centres of power and shut them down until governments act on the climate and ecological emergency.

The breakdown of our climate has begun. We’re nearly out of time.

Bring your family and friends, and join us on the streets for a one time only ‘chance of life’. Our future will be decided now.

The purpose of this rebellion is to use mass participation civil disobedience to shut down the UK Government, for as long as it takes, to achieve the real emergency action needed to tackle the crisis.

Site Map: ‘We Are All Crew’ location and around

*Zoom our bigger map for detail.

About the We Are All Crew site

XR Bristol, XR Wales (XR North Wales, XR South Wales, XR Cardiff and many other Welsh local groups), rebels from the Welsh Marches, XR Farmers and XR Rainbow Rebellion (LGBTQIA+ rebels) will be joining forces on a beautiful site called We Are All Crew.

The site will sit right in front of the Home Office and the Department of Transport for two weeks, shutting down The Department of Transport, the Home Office, one of the DEFRA buildings, and the Department for Communities and Local Government for all of that time.

We’ll also be sending groups of rebels out all over the city to target transport, financial and media infrastructure. Affinity groups will be operating autonomously to maintain our roadblocks and carry out our satellite actions.

Camping

We encourage Rebels to stay and camp on site, outside the Home Office. The more of us that stay on site, the stronger the presence we have, and the better our ability to respond to police efforts to remove us. It’ll also help to create an inclusive community atmosphere within the site.

There will be a number of options for you if you’re planning to stick around overnight. The main camping will be on Horseferry Road, within the roadblocks.

There’s a nearby park (St John’s Gardens), with some grass space that you can use if you’re unable to pitch on the road. There will also be some strategic positions in which to hang a hammock if you’re that way inclined!

If you have children with you, we suggest you camp with the families from all sites at St James’ park.

For those of you who are able to camp on Horseferry road, we’d suggest you think about how you’ll keep your tent tied down without soft ground to peg in to. This will vary depending on your tent, but possible solutions might include 5L water bottles, which you can use as weights. You can bring them in empty and fill them on site. Also, extra string can be useful for extending guide ropes to that bollard that you can’t quite reach.

To keep the camping areas safe and secure we need lots of volunteers to help watch over things. If you’re willing and able to help with this, let the campsite crew know when you pitch up.

Finally, here’s a list of things to think about bringing to make your stay as comfortable as possible:

  • tent
  • sleeping bag
  • camping mat
  • ear plugs
  • eye mask
  • torch
  • lock for your tent
  • hand sanitiser
  • power bank
  • warm clothes

The main stage

The site will feature a main stage powered exclusively by sunlight. There will be a varied programme of inspiring talks, rebel storytelling, interactive street performances, an arts factory, live bands and DJs and much more.

Our modular stage will move and flow to meet our needs each day and to tell the story of our growing community as we construct a beautiful space together. Following the “construction” theme, and as our name – We Are All Crew – suggests, expect to be surrounded by building and warning signs, colourful banners, customised overalls, neon yellow and pink hi-vis jackets, hard hats and decorated traffic cones.

Caring for our rebels

Our site kitchen crew will be cooking up wholesome hot meals twice a day and a couple of big feasts throughout the week.

A wellbeing tent will provide sanctuary for burned out or overwhelmed rebels. It’ll have cosy seating, hot drinks, biscuits and some amazing wellbeing people available to talk and support us throughout the Rebellion.

There will be a big crew of stewards on hand – calm, capable people who can support our site by keeping people safe and the environment calm. The stewards will:

  • help keep the site drug and alcohol free
  • help with logistical support and on marches
  • welcome newcomers
  • leaflet and talk to the public

Accessibility

We’ll make our actions accessible to all.

We Are All Crew will be the most Deaf accessible site in the Rebellion, aiming to have British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters on all our main stage acts. All rebels are being encouraged to learn the ten ‘Rebel Signs’, developed with members of the Deaf community.

Based on BSL, but adapted for context, created in the hope of enabling Deaf and Hard of Hearing (HoH), and hearing rebels to communicate more inclusively on actions. Watch the Rebel Signs video below.

We’ll also have a disability team at the site, who will have key information for disabled rebels.

The main stage on site will be wheelchair accessible. We’ll have two spare wheelchairs on site, a zimmer frame and crutches and we’ve planned to have accessible Portaloos delivered to the site. If the police prevent this, the disability team will have information about wheelchair accessible toilets in the local area.

We’ll have a loop system set up for our stage sound so HoH rebels can access this. We’ll be providing noise cancelling headphones for rebels with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who may need a silent space to retreat in our wellbeing sanctuary.

Families space

The site will have a families area to provide a safer and friendly space for young rebels and their parents with a cosy indoor (or in-tent) space and family-friendly activities.

At the moment, the We Are All Crew site has no family-friendly camping, although the main Families Site is not too far away.

Inductions and training

Visitors to the site will be able to join a one-hour “street induction”, where they can:

  • learn about XR’s principles and values
  • find out how the site and the whole action is coordinated
  • learn some non-violent direct action (NVDA) skills
  • key things to know about getting arrested

NVDA training covers the practice of non-violent techniques, showing you how to:

  • how to de-escalate tense situations
  • how to interact with the police
  • what to do if you get arrested

There will be more in-depth on-site non-violent direct action (NVDA) training, de-escalation training and non-violent communication (NVC) training to make sure rebels are prepared for what the week will throw at us.

There will also be the opportunity to form affinity groups with other rebels, which will facilitate getting involved in actions.

Decision making

During the course of the Rebellion decisions will be made using mechanisms that enable us to hear the voices of all rebels on the site. There will be People’s Assemblies every evening. The views from these assemblies will be conveyed to morning meetings comprised of the coordinators of the different groups and randomly chosen rebels.

This assorted group will take account of rebels’ views from the assemblies to make decisions for the day ahead.

Read our Action Consensus and Rebel Agreement

If you are planning to take part in non-violent direct action with Extinction Rebellion you must read and abide by our Action Consensus.

The Rebel Agreement is a precis of the Action Consensus in the form of a flyer that reminds rebels of our basic agreements.

Get involved

Join us and become part of We Are All Crew

Volunteer your time to a team during the Rebellion