“I’m a scared little kid trying to fight for my future,” said Phoebe. “I want people to realise that something like this is a proportionate response to our government’s inaction – which is criminal inaction. It’s not a question of science right now; it’s a question of political will.”
Gen Z are the most worried, and they’ll inherit the effects of whatever decisions are made now. A 2019 Amnesty International survey of 10,000 people aged between 18 and 25 across 22 countries found that 41 per cent consider climate change one of the most important issues facing the world. A YouGov study a year later found that almost half of all 18–24-year-olds were “very concerned” about the climate crisis, compared to just a quarter of those over 65.
They’re desperate enough to hurl tinned non-perishables for attention.
“These spectacular types of protests are an important tactic in raising public awareness,” University of Warwick Sociology Professor Akwugo Emejulu tells GLAMOUR over the phone. “Whether it’s Heinz on the Van Gogh or people doing the bridge climb, it’s meant to be disruptive. It’s meant to garner media attention. We’re still talking about it, so I’d say it’s been effective, whether you ultimately agree or disagree with their methods.”
Professor Emejulu’s research is on race, gender, and grassroots activism. Her latest book, Fugitive Feminism, discusses Black women’s exclusion and liberation. She says it’s not just the age and gender of these protestors that matters, but their race and class – something that’s also been discussed online, though a lot less politely.
“When middle-class white people engage in civil disobedience, we know they are less likely to experience police violence,” she says. “They know they’ll be treated differently [to Black people and people of colour]. They know they’ll be handled with kid gloves because of their race and class.”
When police officers at the National Gallery recognised Anna from previous protests, one of them said “oh hey, Anna.” They were treated with respect by gallery staff and law enforcement. Professor Emejulu says it would play out very differently, if Black women started throwing things in galleries.
“It is a privilege to be able to protest and be supported and have the funds to do it. [This sort of activism] is definitely still very white and middle class and that definitely needs to change.”
“It wouldn’t get the same kind of media attention, even though the vast majority of people most adversely affected [by climate change] are located in the global south,” she said. “Think of the things Black and brown people have been dealing with just recently, with the floods in Pakistan and the droughts in Kenya. That doesn’t even get the same media attention as these acts.”
That inequity is not lost on the white women spilling things for the cause. Sarah McAffrey, a 19-year-old interior design student from Glasgow, knew she was somewhat protected by the colour of her skin when she poured cow’s milk on the floor of a supermarket on behalf of the organisation Animal Rebellion.
“It is a privilege to be able to protest and be supported and have the funds to do it,” Sarah told GLAMOUR by video call. “[This sort of activism] is definitely still very white and middle class and that definitely needs to change.”
Sarah is technically still under investigation but hasn’t been charged for her actions.
“On the day, there was a high police presence already, and we were all very aware of them. As the day went on, and people were getting arrested for previous milk spill action the day before, there was high tension, and it was unsettling. But there was music playing, and we were part of a group and it got exciting and fun, being around so many concerned citizens. When it finally came time to pour out the milk, I was just ready.”