Extinction Rebellion: Activists to stage 'die in' protest in Edinburgh
Extinction Rebellion will stage a die-in protest in Edinburgh to demand urgent action on the climate crisis after the UK witnessed record-breaking temperatures and droughts.
Activists will stage the protest on the Royal Mile this Saturday. A group of activists is set to lie on the ground outside St Giles’ Cathedral posing as ‘casualties of the climate crisis’.
Similarly to ‘die in protests’ staged by the group in the past, the ‘casualties’ will be covered in white sheets to convey the human suffering and death as a direct result of the climate crisis.
Passers-by will need to navigate placards proclaiming the climate-related cause of death of each casualty – such as ‘heat stress’, ‘starvation’ and ‘climate conflict’, which will be laid close to those taking part in the protest.
The action comes in the wake of record-breaking weather events in the UK, with Scotland also recording the highest day seen on record.
UN and climate scientists have stated the extreme temperatures experienced over the summer are due to human-made climate change.
Extinction Rebellion’s aim is to inspire the public to step up into climate action at their die-in on Saturday.
Speaking ahead of the protest, physicist and author Dr Louis Keal said: “The science has clearly shown for decades that the climate and ecological collapse we’re witnessing is the greatest threat to survival the human race has ever seen.
"Until the public unite and force politicians to find the courage and integrity to stop looking the other way, we’ll carry on making this apocalyptic threat worse and miss our narrow window to save our civilisation”