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Activists from "Futuro Vegetal" paint the British Embassy in Spain demanding amnesty for protesters
- Activists have sprayed red and black dyes using fire extinguishers against the facade of the UK embassy in Madrid, Spain
- They are demanding amnesty for Mike Lynch White and the rest of peaceful protesters incarcerated in the UK
Madrid, 16 June 2023. Yesterday morning, "Futuro Vegetal" activists dyed the UK embassy building red and black using fire extinguishers. The protest denounces the repression of British activists who have been sentenced to more than two years in prison for non-violent protests in the UK.
On 16 May, Mike Lynch-White, co-founder of the group Scientist Rebellion, was sentenced to 23 months in prison for an action by Palestine Action in 2021, in which they non-violently disrupted the production of UK-made military components that were to be supplied to the state of Israel.
The activists carried posters with his picture on them, which they stuck to the windows of the building.
"We are experiencing an escalation of repression. Governments are criminalising scientists and climate activists who are taking action in the face of the multi-systemic crisis they have brought us into." Stated Elena Gonzalez, fiancée of the imprisoned activist and who has sprayed paint dressed as a bride, symbolising that she has not been able to marry Mike due to the conviction.
The climate Spanish activist group "Futuro Vegetal" denounced in the building where the British embassy is located that "the judicial systems are not protecting the population, but are imprisoning those who fight for a better world, from the housing movement to climate activists or the anti-militarist movement". One of the spokespersons of the collective pointed out that "justice is at the service of the economic interests of a group of genocidaires".
This is the first protest action of a weekend in which demonstrations and rallies have been called at British embassies in several European countries. The protests, in which the groups Scientist Rebellion and others like Futuro Vegetal or Palestine Action are taking part in, demand amnesty for Mike and the rest of the UK's political prisoners.
About Futuro Vegetal
Futuro Vegetal protests against the agri-food model that "is directly responsible for the current climate emergency", according to the movement, echoing the reports of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. They are therefore demanding that the government end subsidies to livestock farming and use the money for a transition to a socially and ecologically just plant-based food system. Currently, more than thirty Plant Future activists are facing criminal prosecution for their non-violent protests.
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About Scientist Rebellion
Scientist Rebellion is a growing climate activist group with 1000+ scientists and academics across 32 countries. Members range from science students and professors to IPCC contributors and leading climate-related scientists. Through disruptive nonviolent action, Scientist Rebellion demands emergency decarbonization via economic degrowth. During acts of civil resistance, members wear lab coats, and volunteers organize the vast majority of the campaign activity.
The Climate Emergency Fund supports Scientist Rebellion's recruitment, training, capacity-building, and educational efforts.
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