How to grow hope through collective action, showcasing strength, passion and bravery.

Most of you are probably familiar with Extinction Rebellion (XR) and their work. I‘ve been very sceptical of their approaches at times, feeling like what they do divide people rather than uniting them. I‘ve been approached by activists asking me to participate in their actions but refused due to these very reasons. Although I recognised the urgency in their demands, I didn’t feel like this was my path to take.

In September 2023, I was in The Hague for a different activist event with several friends of mine, when we randomly stumbled upon a highway blockade by XR. There were hundreds of people protesting in support of the blockade, standing next to the road, separated from the blockade by banners and police officers.

We decided to join the support protest and started to chant things like “You are not alone. You are not alone.” Both in the blockade and the support protest, you could find people from all ages and backgrounds. Older people and children, parents and students came together on this day, as they have done so already for weeks, to fight against the Dutch government’s subsidies to the fossil fuel industry.

I was simply astonished by everyone’s bravery, their continuous strength, their passion, their selflessness and their sense of community and duty. In this moment I realized, even though not everyone might agree with XR’s philosophy, it was clear from a mile away how powerful this moment was and how much energy could lay in community action and in civil disobedience. I remember when the police started using water cannons and one person stood right up, facing the cannon right in the eye, spreading their arms. You could literally see people fighting for nature in this very moment.

Or when an older woman was carried away by two police officers, proudly and simply raising her fist in solidarity while everyone else was cheering her on. It is these small moments of courage that stuck with me since. On this day, I cried but not out of despair or frustration. I cried because I found my way back to feeling empowered and inspired. I only noticed then that I have been lacking these important aspects in my activism recently. Sometimes we come across these moments in life that can ignite hope in us, even when we least expect it.”

Story by Luisa Hörtnagel @luisipisii

Art by Chiara Lamieri @chiara_lamieri

Story and art made during the learning journey Becoming Climate Artivists, organised by Climate Creativity and One Resilient Earth with support from Erasmus+.