Beyond inclusion? Perceptions of the extent to which Extinction Rebellion speaks to, and for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and working-class communities

Abstract

There is a resurgent interest in, and debate about, inclusive environmentalism. Within this context, it has been alleged that Extinction Rebellion (XR) exclude Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) and working-class people. To understand more about whether and how this occurs, and how it might be remedied, we interviewed 40 BAME and working-class people in England and Wales about their perceptions of, and opinions about, XR. We found that, while XR’s tactics and messages have varied across time and place, their discourse and activities, overall, have tended to alienate BAME and working-class people. The interviewees were very concerned about climate change, and supported urgent government action, but they were not interested in being included in XR. To effectively build a social movement against climate change, we, therefore, recommend XR activists go “beyond inclusion” to the transformation of XR and environmentalism more broadly.