Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion Harrogate and Ilkley, dressed as Red Rebels, have been spotted in Knaresborough as they celebrate Earth Day.
The group walked through the town's Marketplace to the announcement of the Town Cryer on 22nd April, before continuing through the gardens surrounding Knaresborough Castle.
Supporters handed out leaflets, drawing attention to the significance of the annual Earth Day, and the "perils our beautiful planet is struggling to survive."
Extinction Rebellion had recently campaigned against the request by Harrogate Spring Water to extend its bottling factory into Rotary Wood, and said they were "thrilled" that North Yorkshire Councillors voted to reject the planning application.
The Red Rebels said they were celebrating that "amazing win" on Earth Day.
Arnold Warneken, North Yorkshire Councillor for Ouseburn Division said:
“Everyone within earshot of the Town Cryer knew why the Red Rebels were out today.
"I had some great conversations with locals who wanted to know how they could help protect our shared planet, but more importantly, which businesses were guilty of exploiting the Earth’s limited resources, including Fossil Fuel corporations, Water companies, and Animal Agriculture mega-businesses.“
“Our message to people who are able to is to switch to electricity for heating & transport, lobby your MP to bring the water industry back into public ownership, stop buying plastic bottled water, and leave your private jet at home!”
Alex Marsh, who is a retired organic grower from Cowthorpe, said:
“The war against Iran even affects conventional agriculture which depends on artificial fertiliser, which itself is made from oil.
"On top of that more than 80% of global farmland is used to grow feedstuffs for animals which only provide 18% of our calories, so animal agriculture makes very poor use of land.
"We urgently need to shift our reliance away from land-hungry & polluting animal agriculture to sustainably-grown human plant-based foods.
"We would then easily have enough land left for rewilding to support nature and biodiversity. We’re not talking about giving up meat and dairy completely, just eating a bit less.”
Extinction Rebellion welcomes new members to get involved with campaigns including Dirty Water, and Insure to Survive, including the Red Rebels, and the Blue Water Beings.
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