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Rooftop rebel plans her next Parliament protest
Robert Mendick and Nigel Rosser12.09.08
Eco-activists are planning to storm Parliament in a mass protest against global warming, the Evening Standard can reveal.
The demonstration is being led by leading campaigner Tamsin Omond. A member of "Plane Stupid", she occupied the roof of the Palace of Westminster in February to protest against a third runway at Heathrow.
Now the 23-year-old Cambridge graduate is plotting a much bigger womenled protest, to mirror the attempted "rush" of Parliament by suffragettes.
She faces jail if caught because bail conditions imposed after her protest prevent her entering Parliament.
Miss Omond said she was seeking legal advice to get the bail restrictions overturned in time for the 13 October rally - the 100th anniversary of the Suffragette Rush, organised by Emmeline Pankhurst, who was imprisoned for a breach of the peace.
The Climate Rush is the latest in a series of stunts arranged by a new breed of eco-activists. This week six Greenpeace activists were cleared of causing £30,000 of criminal damage to a coal-fired power station.
The organisers of Climate Rush - which men have also been invited to join although most protesters will be women - has three demands: no airport expansion; no new coal-fired power stations; and new government policies to tackle global warming.
Miss Omond, the granddaughter of a baronet, told the Standard: "The Climate Rush remembers the example of the suffragettes - when the Government won't act in our best interests, it's time to act for them."
Miss Omond added: "We are not breaking the law by entering Parliament. That is everybody's right."
Next month's protest is likely to pose a major public order headache for the Metropolitan Police. Activists are understood to have been briefed on how to enter Parliament and evade security. Miss Omond said she was currently in negotiations with the Met over holding a rally in Parliament Square which several hundred women are likely to attend, with participants "invited to wear period dress".
They will wear red sashes emblazoned with Climate Code Red, mimicking the purple sashes worn by suffragettes.
The demonstration will be launched by the former newspaper editor Rosie Boycott who will say: "The threat facing us is even more serious than the issue that brought our predecessors here."
Reader views (9)
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said of Climate Change in 2007: "This is an emergency, and for emergency situations we need emergency action". Talking about an emergency is one thing, acting accordingly demonstrates sincere leadership at a time when leadership is lacking. Well done to anyone and everyone willing to put their name, face, and reputation on the line to call for greater action to contain the single biggest threat to the global environment, and civilizations as we know them. May many more gain the courage to do likewise before it is too late.
- Duncan Jinks, Newcastle, Australia
The ludicrous tactic of declaring someone's activism invalid because of what you perceive as a hypocritical trait, act or habit in them is invalid itself. Nobody's perfect. If we only listen to those who live their values perfectly then we'll have no voices considered worth listening to. Go Tamsin - your courage and alliance with women who came before is inspiring. I'd like to do same in Australia. People, we have a climate emergency, lets work on it together and not pick on a personal level.
- Georgia Blomberg, Melbourne, Australia
Some people need a cause to fill their otherwise dull lives & governments need to create an enemy, in order to stay in power beyong their sell by date.
- Keith Simpson, Wareham, Dorset
The picture was taken when Miss Omond was a teenager: several years before she was aware of climate change and well before she was involved in activism. Also I'm not entirely convinced of the use in finger pointing: we are all hypocrits to greater and lesser extents, living in the society in which we live means that some level of hypocricy is unavoidable. All that I can say is that her efforts are considerably more than mine and I admire her immensely for that.
- Rosie Smith, Plymouth
I suppose that idiot Zac Goldsmith will be joining them!
- David, london uk
Though I applaud her activism, I can't agree with Rosie Boyd. Even the global climate crisis is less serious a problem than leaving the voices of women out of decisions that affect our planet.
Thank God women can help correct our course by electing politicians who will lead us in the right direction.
Most people are totally in the dark about HOW the suffragettes won votes for women, and what life was REALLY like for women before they did.
But knowing their successful methods can be very useful to today's activists.
I'd like to share a women's history learning opportunity...
"The Privilege of Voting" is a new free e-mail series that follows eight great women from 1912 - 1920 to reveal ALL that happened to set the stage for women to win the vote in England and America.
It's a real-life soap opera about the suffragettes! And it's ALL true!
Powerful suffragettes Alice Paul and Emmeline Pankhurst are featured, along with TWO gorgeous presidential mistresses, First Lady Edith Wilson, Edith Wharton, Isadora Duncan and Alice Roosevelt.
There are tons of heartache on the rocky road to the ballot box, but in the end, women WIN!
Thanks to the success of the suffragettes, women have voices and choices!
Exciting sequential episodes are great to read on coffeebreaks or anytime.
- Virginia Harris, Philadelphia, PA, USA
So she is an "eco-activist". If that is her cigarette then she is a complete hypocrite. The tobacco industry does untold damage to the environment during the manufacture of cigarettes - have you actually seen the chemicals used? Then there is the pollution caused by the smoke and finally the residual waste of the filters which are an eyesore as well as an environmental problem. Maybe she should start practising what she preaches.
- Dannyp, Egham
Miss Osmond is obviously very serious about saving the planet. But how come shes got a ciggie in her hand i didnt think that they were eco friendly!
- Peter M, Camberley
Has Daddy not got her a job with a large multinational yet?
- Bob, Cheam
