Filmmakers, a brass band and the Mona Lisa.
What do all these seemingly unconnected groups have in common, you ask?
Well, in the past few months, all three have become targets of disruption for climate activists. Just as the easing of COVID-19 restrictions has coincided with the return of large-scale in-person events and tourism, so have the unconventional protests of climate activism.
The first group, award-winning filmmakers and celebrities, saw the BAFTA red carpet transform into a real-life version of the film Don’t Look Up as Extinction Rebellion protesters jumped the fence, set off smoke bombs, banged drums and shouted Just Stop Oil.
Inspired by Adam Mckay’s Oscar-nominated Netflix film, in which two scientists, played by Leonardo Di Caprio and Jennifer Lawerence, try to warn humanity about an asteroid that is going to end the world, the three activists taped themselves to the carpet for security and hesitated to move them, constructing a hasty barricade around them.
Next was a coronation – the PLAtinum Jubilee “Trooping of the Colors” – where Animal Rebellion called for an end to the hunt on royal lands by sending eight protesters into the mall to leaflet the way in the path of the Grenadier Guards marching band put.
Finally a pie attack on Europe’s most famous smile, Leonardo Di Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”. Here, a lone wolf disguised himself as a climate activist in a wheelchair and speared cakes over the bulletproof glass protecting the world-famous painting, shouting “Think of the Earth” as he was dragged away by security forces.
In all three cases, the goal was simple—attention. A common tactic of unconventional political involvement, all news is good news, even if it means facing arrests. All three events boasted both a large media presence (whether it was interviewers, BBC TV coverage or the mass of civilian iPhones photographing the world’s most famous painting) and a large police presence. The risk of arrest was high…the risk of media coverage was even higher.
And yet one question remains… Does this kind of unconventional, attention-based activism actually work?
While all of these events certainly made it to the news, the BAFTAs event was a slow build-up, largely overshadowed by the event itself and seamlessly clipped by any red carpet highlights. Aiming to speak to the hearts of famous celebrities, screams from the protesters to “use your platforms” fell on the harried and distracted ears of the award-winning actors and presenters as they were herded into the Royal Albert Hall.
And yet, when actor Benedict Cumberbatch took the time to pause and ask protesters what he could do to help – what alternatives could be created instead of fossil fuels – he repeatedly received a unique response from “Just Stop Oil ‘ which frustrated the famed climate. conscious actor.
Do these acts really create significant media frenzy – or do such events primarily generate negative public perception and alienation from more conventional climate activists?
The BAFTA protest sparked boos and anger from the crowd, who had their hopes of meeting their favorite actors blocked by an influx of security forces. The jubilee disturbance saw cheers for the police, who quickly pounced on the intruders. The Mona Lisa attacker caused confusion, laughter, and memes across the internet because of its random and unsuccessful premise.
The return of widespread unconventional activism in the post-COVID-19 world raises pertinent questions about potential harm and loss of effectiveness among the public.
Does it hurt conventional environmentalists more than it helps when disruption protesters first anger those who sided with them and create a childish perspective on any climate activism among policymakers?
Will the world grow weary from the repeated efforts of these groups as the public ignores warnings, ultimately reducing widespread climate awareness?
I am still inclined to say that, following the strategy of Extinction Rebellion itself, any climate activism is good climate activism. The intentions of such protests still spring from a thoughtful, passionate and courageous mindset. While I am hesitant about its effectiveness and skeptical about public reactions, any action aimed at maintaining this global priority as such, a priority, is beneficial.
But maybe the planet would be safer in the long run if we tried something more compelling than having the Mona Lisa eat cake?