Extinction Rebellion activists pretend to be dead on Leeds Uni campus

Each body’s cause of death was related to the climate crisis


On Monday, Extinction Rebellion activists laid on the grounds of the University of Leeds, pretending to be dead.

Their causes of death were written on cardboard beside them, including the likes of skin cancer, antibiotic resistance and even flooding.

But this was not a display of Halloween spirit – but rather a sinister protest from the group, highlighting the fatal consequences of climate injustice.

“We had several rebels laying down covered in white sheets to convey that they had ‘died’, with their causes of death related to the climate crisis written on placards beside them,” Quack, a spokesperson for XR, told The Tab Leeds. “These included wildfires, persecution, and floods.”

Each “rebel” had a climate-related cause of “death” laid next to them

The campaign’s aims for Leeds University are “the same as the Climate Coalition’s”, including  “getting the university to stop accepting fossil fuel funding” and for them to “declare a climate emergency.”

“In Leeds we aim to raise the profile of the climate emergency, to encourage more people to take direct action against the government, and to mobilise people into climate action”. Quack added.

As well as raising awareness of the effects of the climate crisis, the protest also aimed to promote the group’s upcoming talk, which will take place at 3-4pm today at LUU’s Function.

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