Brussels (BE), every Friday and Saturday since the beginning of October
In October and throughout a part of November, the Belgian Growth Kills, together with Scientist Rebellion, organised their Degrowth on Tour outreach activities, which consisted of engaging in conversations with people passing by on a large shopping street (Rue Neuve). The self-imposed challenge was to spark a people’s assembly, metamorphosing a growth street spirit into a degrowth one! With the help of Scientist Rebellion (see their Instagram), the Degrowth on Tour initiative spread to several other countries.
Brussels (BE), November 29th
Next up for the Growth Kills team was a Black Friday action that went beautifully, with a bunch of news outlets covering it. Some examples:
- The Canary
- LeSoir (French)
- L’avenir (French)
- Rtl (short video in French)
- Rtl (longer video in French)
- Rtl (French)
- Rtbf (French)
- DeWereldMorgen (Dutch)
- HLN (Dutch, commercial news)
- Bruzz (Dutch, Brussels news)
Copenhagen (DK), November 29th
Degrowth Copenhagen too did an action on Black Friday: on the occasion of the Black Friday/Week, we, Degrowth Copenhagen, organized the Fuck Black Friday Action in Radhuspladsen, Copenhagen’s main square, to create awareness about the impacts of consumerism.
We set up a free clothing shop by hanging discarded clothes on a long wire tied to two lamp posts, free for everyone to take. Playing bangers on a soundbox helped us to catch people’s attention while handing out flyers with the message “Are you a consumer or being consumed?”. We engaged in talks with people, handed out stickers with our logos and our Manifesto to the most curious. We read speeches and poems about facts on overconsumption, the socio-ecological impact of advertisement as well as degrowth solutions. Some of us staged a catwalk wearing self-styled outfits made of discarded clothes and bags.
As International Solidarity Day, we read a list of (consumer goods) companies that profit from the Genocide and Apartheid System in Palestine via the Watermelon Index, while inviting the people passing by to Boycott, Divest and Sanction. Later we joined the protest in front of Humac - an Apple products reseller - by other fellow activists in Solidarity with the people in the Congo - where western corporations like Apple, Dell, Google, Microsoft, and Tesla encouraged Cobalt’s mining companies to exploit children for labor, forcing them to work in hazardous conditions that resulted in fatalities and serious injuries. There were multiple initiatives in the city to counter Black Friday, including repair workshops and swaps.
We found talking to the heterogenous group of street passengers an educational and challenging experience: each person has a totally different level of understanding and awareness of the climate crisis and the need for system change. If Degrowth aims to become a mass movement, we need to sharpen our arguments and ability to engage people from all backgrounds.