Extinction Rebellion Ottawa acknowledges land defenders killed protecting the environment

On October 18, a locally-organized Extinction Rebellion action on the Laurier Avenue Bridge in downtown Ottawa included a solemn gathering to remember the 164 land and environmental defenders killed in 2018.

These were individuals who worked to protect their land/territory, water and air and stop major drivers of climate change, including mining and extractives, agribusiness, deforestation, and hydroelectric dams.

About 50 people gathered in a circle with a lit candle in the centre. Those assembled were asked to remember and reflect on those lives lost.

It was highlighted that 164 land defenders were killed in 2018 (on average three people per week), that more than half (83 of the 164) were from Latin America, and that nearly a quarter of those killed were Indigenous.

It was also noted that 872 land and environmental defenders were killed over just the past five years: 164 in 2018, 207 in 2017, 200 in 2016, 185 in 2015, and 116 in 2014.

A further 908 land and environmental defenders were killed between 2002 and 2013.

Extinction Rebellion activists held a sprig of cedar and during a moment of silence reflected on the sacrifice of those killed to protect the environment.

Then, one by one, the pieces of cedar were solemnly placed in the centre of the circle.

As noted in Extinction Rebellion honours Earth Defenders killed for protecting the environment, Extinction Rebellion communities in London, Paris, Dublin, Cape Town, Islamabad and many other cities have been honouring “those for whom standing up for life and for the natural world has meant death.”

The PBI-Canada tweet – retweeted by Extinction Rebellion – is here.

The 9-minute Extinction Rebellion Ottawa video of the gathering is here.