Billie from Animal Rebellion NL was speaking at XR Amsterdam's Aardeparade on 11th April 2021. She explained how and why this sister organization came into existence from Extinction Rebellion UK; and why a just and sustainable plant based food system is necessary to solve the climate and ecological crisis.

Here you can read the entire speech:

''Good afternoon rebels, my name is Billie. I call myself a world citizen since I have lived in over 20 countries, but I have been based here in Amsterdam for the last while.

In the summer of 2019 I heard about a new climate group forming in London calling themselves Animal Rebellion. They formed when some members of XR questioned why animal & fishing — perhaps the biggest cause of the extinction event that we are facing — why this wasn’t being talked about at all? XR founders met with members of the animal justice movement, and Animal Rebellion was born.

We are sister movement of XR, with the same values, and 3 demands, but specifically the demand that the government tell the truth about the impact of animal faming and fishing on this planet. And to demand a transition to a just and sustainable plantbased food system for all. A solution that is very much achievable, that would solve so many environmental and social problems under one umbrella.

So when I heard about them I had a strong conviction that this was it. Before this I had been doing many forms of activism, but I felt that now this was a movement that finally had the possibility to create real change. I packed up, and went to London to work with them full time in the lead-up and through the Autumn Rebellion 2019

Our first aim was motivate 10,000 animal justice activists to travel to the streets of London to join XR for the Autumn Rebellion. We spent our time going around the country giving our Plantbased Future Climate Talk, where we laid out the undeniable science, that if we don’t transition to a plantbased food system, there is no way that we can achieve the goal of net 0 emissions by 2025, and trying to inspire people to join the rebellion.

When October came we joined XR on the streets of London, as well as carrying out our own hallmark actions, such as the iconic Smithfield meat market action, and even as such a new group in the end we had over 300 media appearances, across all major outlets.

When I returned to Amsterdam exhausted at the end of 2019 me and some other rebels launched Animal Rebellion NL. We were active throughout 2020, and last September we staged a rebellion Brabant, the heart of the animal farming industry, where farming pollution levels are more than twice the WHO limit.

And this Spring were were honoured to join you for the Kick-off of the Spring Rebellion, and I just want let you know to keep your eyes open for another big XR/Animal Rebellion action coming up this week.

Our civilisation is built on 2 big ancient machines, the burning machine (the burning of forests, fossil fuels), and the killing machine, that now kills 80 billion land animals and 1-3 trillion fishes every year. All sentient individuals. An endless war on nature. And then we wonder why we are in such a bad situation?

We grow 6 times the food we need, just to feed farmed animals. To do this we clear more and more land so that each day 200 species lose their homes and go extinct. 70 species at each meal. We have to question, how are we using the Earth? How are we using the resources?

Our governments, and even our environmental movements, think they can just try to make these machines work better and it will be OK, but it’s time to recognise that both these machines are fundamentally dysfunctional, and we need a complete shift in our relation to our shared home. And a recognition that anthropocentrism is a construct, just like racism or classism, and it is leading us all to year 0.

It’s time to recognise that human supremacy and speciesism is the bedrock foundation for every other oppression, and only when we recognise this can we begin together with all other species to rebuild our world. A world where we can all thrive. This future is possible, and that is why I am here.''

#weeseerlijk #doewatnodigis #burgersbeslissen #AnimalJustice = #ClimateJustice

Source: Instagram Livestream Extinction Rebellion Netherlands