XR pink boat removed from Oxford St :( Archived Message Posted by Ian M on April 20, 2019, 10:25 am https://rebellion.earth/2019/04/20/update-5-police-turn-pirates-the-pink-boat-is-lost/ 'In the annals of International Rebellion, Day 5 will be remembered as the day the pink party boat at Oxford Circus was finally cast adrift. Police arrived in great columns just before midday, first kettling the boat then the entire square. They came with angle grinders, they came with climbing gear, and as Emma Thompson and XR Youth to finished their poetry readings they set to work, clearing the hull of locked-on Barnacles, cutting the power of the music system, and then cutting through the metal pins at the boat’s base. Rebels had no choice but to just sit and watch as the pink boat, named Berta Cáceres after the murdered Honduran environmentalist, was slowly cleared of its precious rebel crew. The sound guy went down with the ship, his hand glued to the mast. But the reaction from the OC Rebels on witnessing this sad sight was one of beauty. There was applause for an inspiring talk by transgender activist Paris Lees; there was a heartfelt and raw rendition of ‘Power to the People’ led by a member of XR Youth that resulted in him being handed a megaphone and held up above the crowd; and there was a moving speech from a representative of ‘XR Dance For Life’, imploring rebels to empathise with the police, and show thanks for all the times that they have been there to keep us safe. The booming cheers and applause that followed packed a powerful emotional punch, for both rebels and officers, with one of the latter turning around to wipe away tears. The always rebel-rousing Samba band then arrived from Marble Arch with the dazzling Red Brigade in tow. As the sail finally came down around 5:30pm, the atmosphere was electric. The crowd started chanting ‘we’ve got more boats’ and arrestable rebels blocked the boat’s intended escape route, meaning it could only be moved a matter of yards without further arrests. As the daylight faded, the pink party boat was gone, but the pink party boat atmosphere remained in spades. A huge banner went up with the words “We Are The Boat”. The Rebels still had the square, a new sound system was found, and in between the dancing, discussions turned to how a new boat might be built. Within hours, a new cardboard vessel was emerging from the tarmac. At the same time, around 300 mourning rebels accompanied the boat on its funeral procession, walking before it and then stopping to wave goodbye as it sailed into the distance and an unknowable fate. It’s only in hard times that we show the full depth of our movement: our resilience, our compassion and support for ourselves and each other, and our unchanging commitment to nonviolence. What an amazing day and a beautiful turnaround to what should have felt like a defeat. It really didn’t.' Updates on the other sites, all still held likely for the whole easter weekend at least, and international happenings via above link. cheers, I Message Thread: XR pink boat removed from Oxford St :( - Ian M April 20, 2019, 10:25 am press panic and vitriol over Heathrow 'threat' - Ian M April 20, 2019, 10:29 am Astonishing contrast, Ian: Your polished REAL journalism, then the Scumw hores' mind-sewage! NOM - Rhisiart Gwilym April 20, 2019, 10:42 am thx but it's not my reports, if that wasn't clear - Ian M April 20, 2019, 9:14 pm Hasn't Emma Thompson just flown in from Los Angeles? - SueC April 21, 2019, 12:07 am   Searching