Newsletter #26 from XR Oslo

We wish to all our members a happy 17th of May! As the festivities of Norway´s National Day begin, you may here read a report from last week´s action in front of Stortinget (Parliament), become acquainted with Trond, facilitator of the XR Nonviolence Film Club, and get an overview of the coming week’s XR events.

Oil-spills on Karl Johan Street

On Monday May 11th, a group of actionists gathered in front of Parliament’s entrance door, where politicians had to tread over “oil” spills strewn with roses to get to work.

Participants being limited to 20 and adhering to proper Covid distancing, the actionists were equipped with banners, posters and home-made “oil” mix in order to block the entrance door of Stortinget.

Through appeals, song and die-in, they communicated the message: The revised National Budget must not stimulate the petroleum industry, but make ground works for a Green Restart!

Red Rebels served as an eye catcher for the many passers by.

XR is back in the streets!

Greeting from the Home Front

This Newsletter will bring a series of interviews with individuals who take part in the XR Oslo local group. Through this column you will get to know the individuals behind working groups at XR Oslo, what drives them, get a look into how they work - also in days of Corona.

Trained as a political scientist, Trond Botnen has his daily work at Regnskogfondet (Rain Forest Fund). He lives at Sletteløkka, is active in MDG at a city district level, and a leader of the Sletteløkka residents’ association. On his spare time, he does orienteering and participates in the VIF-clan (football supporters).

Trond joined XR around New Year, and now partakes in the Political Strategy group and the DNA-team. He recently initiated the Nonviolence Film Club of XR, that gives our members the opportunity to watch and discuss historical examples of how non-violent activism has led to change.

- Disruptive action is the main strategy for XR. It is important to learn from others past experience on what works and what doesn’t. The use of nonviolent activism has a long history, and for many different purposes, so the environmental movement should learn from these examples in order to choose the right causes, strategies and tactics, and how to best implement them, Trond says.

Every Tuesday we will show a half an hour long documentary from the series A Force More Powerful .

- After the screening, I will do a short presentation of theory, before participants discuss what they have seen and the lessons to be learned, Trond says.

He thinks it important to use these days of corona to build organization: training and strategic planning.

- When society opens up again we have the opportunity to exit from hibernation as a stronger entity. Therefore it is important that we continue to meet, also though the internet, in order to inspire each other. we must remember that the corona crises will pass while the climate- and ecocide crises will not. XR is more important than ever, Trond says.

Everyday life hasn’t changed very much for Trond himself. He rides his bicycle to work as usual, however there are less people at the office, he tells us.

- The biggest difference is that I, who love going to the cinema and to concerts, stay at home at night with my wife watching TV. These days mostly Westworld and the Wire.

- Why did you choose XR and not some other organization as arena for your environmental commitment?

- Because I have faith in nonviolent activism as an important supplement to other measures in the environmentalist movements. As I am an active MDG-member and works for Regnskogfondet, my commitment is sourced into three very important arenas, Trond says.

Do you want to join XR Nonviolence Film Club? Join now!

This weeks activities

Catch up on what’s happening in the week to come, whether on Zoom or at Greenhouse in Schweigaards gate 34C! If you are a Base-user finding it hard to navigate, there has now been created a help-site .

Monday May 18th

17:00-19:00: Training nonviolent communication (Zoom)

What is it about our communication that promotes contact, and what creates distance? How do we nurture good cooperation? How do different styles of communication affect you and others? This course is based on practical exercise with examples from the participants’ daily life. Instructor Anniken Poulsson Beer, is a certified trainer with CNVC (Center for Nonviolent Communication). You get your Zoom link by signing up at RegenerativKulturOslo@extinctionrebellion.no

17:00-19:00: Action planning (at Greenhouse)

On May 29th, the government will present the next round of crises packages, from the Department of Climate and Environment. Part of the package facilitates a green restructuring, however the grants seem particularly small compared to the 300 billions directed at the oil and gas industries. We are planning a protest focusing on vulnerability and eco-grief. There will be much use of performance: Red Rebels, plants, soil, a human Planet Earth who is sick and hopefully something symbolizing the generation we are sending into this insecure future. Some children dressed in green. Low threshold for participante. We need 5-10 more people in our planning group in order to implement a good action. Contact: 29mai2020@protonmail.com .

Tuesday May 19th

12:00-13:00: Informal lunch (Zoom)

Drop in while eating your lunch, or just to chat. No need to be on time. You may also sign off when you want to. We talk about this and that, and sometimes a topic arises. Conversation is shaped by who ever comes. Zoom-link .

17:30-19:00: XR Nonviolence Film Club (Zoom)

This week’s episode from the series A Force More Powerful takes us to 1985’s South Africa, where a young man called Museweni Jack is leading a movement Against legal discrimination known as apartheid. The film is half an hour, after which we have a structured dialogue with reflection as to what we can learn from the film to bring to XR. Join now!

Wednesday May 20th

17:00-17:15: Common meeting (Greenhouse)

We meet together before dividing into two main groups. Within each main group there will be different projects and ideas to work with.

17:15-19:00: Community activities at Greenhouse

We talk about social aspects of and within XR, the recruitment of new members and inclusion and integration of both new and existing members. More people should partake in this work, because it will be very important in times to come.

17:15-19:00: Planning of actions and expressions

An opportunity to join in the planning of actions coming up (like May29) or the development of larger actions for the Oslo Rebellion (September or Oct. -dates soon to be fixed). You decide which action or expression you want to work on, or maybe you want to work with media, organizing, brainstorming or other things.

Participation through Zoom possible for those in quarantine or those who, for health or other reasons need to participate through Zoom, we would like you to give notice here with this form. .

We are looking forward to seeing old and new faces on Wednesday!

Thursday May 21th

12:00-13:00: Informal lunch (Zoom)

Drop in while eating your lunch, or just to chat. No need to be on time. You may also sign off when you want to. We talk about this and that, and sometimes a topic arises. Conversation is shaped by who ever comes. Zoom-lenke .

XRs ikkevoldsfilmklubb

Vi har gleden av å ønske velkommen til tredje kveld i XRs ikkevoldsfilmklubb tirsdag 19. mai kl. 1730-1900!

Først viser vi en dokumentarfilm fra serien A Force More Powerful . Episoden tar oss med til Sør-Afrika i 1985, der en ung sørafrikaner kalt Museweni Jack leda en bevegelse mot lovlig diskriminering kjent som apartheid. Deres ikkevoldelig masseaksjonskampanje, først og fremst gjennom en knusende forbrukerboikott i Eastern Cape-provinsen, vekka hvite til å forstå de svartes lidelser og svekka kraftig privat sektors støtte til apartheid.

Etter filmen vil Trond K. Botnen ha en kort presentasjon (10-15 min) av hva vi kan lære om strategisk ikkevoldsmotstand av filmen, og så vil det bli tre kvarters diskusjon i grupper og plenum om hvordan vi kan bruke dette i XR.

Det hele vil finne sted på Zoom, og du ved å følge denne lenka . Der kan du også melde deg på de andre kommende filmkveldene.

"Jeg har vært med på begge episoder av A Force More Powerful og jeg har veldig lyst til å delta på flere! Vi som XR kan få mye inspirasjon fra de som kom før oss i kampen mot urettferdighet. Det som jeg liker best med hvordan denne serien er organisert er at vi får mye plass til refleksjoner sammen. Etter min mening, kan opplevelsen forbedres av bare en ting: at flere vil være med!" - Marta

I kollektiv med naturen

Ekstern koordinator for XR Oslo, Simon James-Eide, deler noen tanker fra en stein ved Harestuvannet.

Tidlig sist lørdag satt jeg på en stein i skogen, omringa av furutrær, lyng, blåbær, mose og lav av mange farger – noen trompet-aktige, andre likna miniatyrtrær. Fuglene kvitra, med mangfoldig sang. Sola skinte gjennom trærne, himmelen var skyfri og vannet var stille som et speil.

Mens jeg tok inn alt rundt meg slo det meg:

Jeg er ikke separat fra naturen. Jeg er en del av den. Naturen er i meg. Naturen er meg. Kroppen min har fysiske grenser – huden min – men jeg er vert for mange mikro-organismer, som bakterier. De utgjør flere celler på og under huden min enn cellene i skjelettet, musklene og organene mine. Gjennom kroppen min bor jeg i kollektiv med naturen. Det er en symbiotisk relasjon – uten disse mikro-organismene kunne jeg verken absorbere oksygen eller få nok næring og energi ut av maten jeg spiser.

Vi bor alle i kollektiv med naturen. Vi er fullstendig avhengig av det stabile klimaet vi har hatt de siste 10 000 år. Det stabile klimaet som har gitt oss mennesker forutsigbare levekår. Som har gitt oss anledninga til å utvikle landbruk, mangfoldig kulturer, fordype vår kunnskap og blomstre som art.

Gjennom XR kan vi organisere oss for å tvinge fram de drastiske og radikale systemendringene som er nødvendig for å stabilisere klimaet og gjenoppbygge naturmangfoldet. Slik at mennesker kan fortsette å blomstre i mange tusen generasjoner framover.

Oljealderen tar slutt, og vi bygger et nytt, levedyktig og rettferdig alternativ. For Norge og for verden.

Want to become active in XRN?

Sign up for Extinction Rebellion Norway on our web-page , and you will be contacted. To prosess new memberships, we have a small group of volunteers, and the workload will sometimes mean there is some waiting time.

As an active Extinction Rebellion member, you will have the opportunity to make a noticeable difference. Our internal forum for members, the Base, provides an overview of possible tasks to engage in. These “job-adverts” are cathegorized under ‘NAV Rebellion’.

Do you have material for The Newsletter?

Mail your photos and text to MediaOslo@extinctionrebellion.no

In order to pay our rent at Greenhouse, we in XR Oslo depend on gifts of money from our members. Anything you can give will be appreciated!

Would you like to support XR Oslo? Account number: 12546307415 | Vipps: 585136