On Thursday, April 3rd, over 400 Quakers came together outside New Scotland Yard to witness in support of those who are suffering repression by the British State, particularly in respect to the anti-protest laws passed by the previous Conservative Government. This action was totally in line with the Quaker Practice of not just believing, but also acting in that belief. This is Radical Witness. In Quaker Support for Climate Action (QS4CA), we have been quietly building a community that is centred around supporting each other in many small – and not so small – ways so that we feel able to go wherever we are each called. We define Radical Witness very broadly. Many actions of Radical Witness can have long-lasting consequences.
I do not mean arrest and the judicial system, necessarily. Witness, in the form of action, can just be raising an issue in Meeting or taking our witness to the streets. In all cases, it can have emotional and practical consequences. It can mean isolation if we feel our Meetings do not understand our motives or prioritise what we feel is an existential issue: this can have a huge impact on Friends. If we are led to believe that not acting against the causes of the Climate Breakdown is compliance (and many now do), this can have a huge emotional toll. At QS4CA, we try to recognise this and provide support for Friends – whatever they feel called to do. We are not here to suggest the correct form of Witness, far from it. We are here whatever form your Witness takes.
I must speak plainly: the Police did not make a mistake when they raided Westminster Meeting House. We can assume it was entirely deliberate and considered. How can we know that? Well, it was not an isolated incident; the Police have been using indiscriminate raids against activists for years. Anyone remember the Just Stop Oil soup evening in a community centre last year? Anyone remember the Drax Protest Camp last year? Maybe not. There are many more incidents. They thought the Government had their backs, and it appears they do. There has been no criticism from the government. They will continue to use the draconian anti-protest laws for as long as they feel able.
Friends, we are ready for this. Maybe we would like to be stronger. Many have watched with horror the passing of the new laws; we knew the repression was coming – maybe not as quickly as this. But that is why we started a group like QS4CA. We have weekly meetings to share information. We have developed a network of 200 individuals connected via online groups in various chats. We have developed personal relationships, been on marches, to meetings, into courts. These are what is needed to support Radical Witness. It is called community. It is our strength: the more we build community, the stronger our Witness will be. Who knows what will happen next, in repression or climate impacts, or both. We started late but we are supporting each other.
Phil Laurie