Interview
Article reserved for subscribers
The rise of roadblocks and throwing soup on blackboards has not been well received by society. Lucien Thabourey, a lecturer at Sciences-Po Paris and a specialist in environmental movements, looks back at this strategy, which is now being questioned by activists themselves.
The climate movement is in full swing. The sudden shutdown of the Austrian civil disobedience group Letzte Generation in early August has got minds involved in the fight against global warming thinking. Specializing in divisive actions such as interrupting sporting events or throwing soup on works of art in museums, the collective has failed to convince civil society and politicians. The observation is shared by movements based on the same modus operandi, from Extinction Rebellion in the United Kingdom to Riposte Alimentaire in France: such actions remain largely misunderstood. Lucien Thabourey, a doctoral student at the Center for European Studies and Comparative Politics and a professor of political science at Sciences-Po Paris, returns to Release on the growing dissension with the public and the turning point that is about to be made within the climate movement.
Can the cessation of Letzte Generation Austria’s activities be seen as an admission of failure?
I think that this shows above all that these groups are not closed in on themselves and their strategic choices.
