Climate activists are not heroes | G.P.

Suspended Sunday Many domestic flights in Sweden. Many climate activists carried out integrated climate action at several airports, including Landwaters. Activists should have refused to sit on the plane to prevent it from taking off. At Bromma Airport in Stockholm, activists have to stick themselves on the runway.

Many have now been arrested for airport sabotage and plane sabotage. The Extinction Rebellion team is in charge. This is not the first time the movement has taken action. In the UK, more than 1,000 members of the group have been accused of blocking roads in London for several days.

The aim of the measures is to get politicians and the public to act quickly to prevent climate change. One central method used by activists is disobedience, which involves committing a crime that is then fully understood by taking the punishment.

read more: Several activists were arrested after the operation at airports

There is something disobedient A long tradition as a system of resistance. Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi, American Baptist pastor Martin Luther King and civil rights activist Rosa Parks were some of the most famous trainers who refused to give up their seats on the bus for a white man.

The philosophical background of disobedience is that one believes in a moral truth independent of man-established laws, so it is right to quietly violate rules that are considered morally reprehensible. As in the case of Martin Luther King, Jr. created man equally, so a Christian belief that the laws of racism are wrong.

Looking back, the actions of Gandhi, Kings and Park are perceived as heroic deeds. Will the same thing happen to today’s climate enthusiasts who block roads and planes? Will they also enter the history books as heroes?

Probably not, For a number of reasons. One obvious thing is that countries like Sweden and the United Kingdom are independent, liberal democracies, where everyone has equal rights. The question people ask is why climate activists cannot use the usual means of political influence in a democracy.

Another reason is that those who are allowed to take the consequences of the actions of the group and those who direct the actions are not the same persons. To do SvD A spokesman for Exxtinction Rebellion said the operation at airports was not affecting passengers. But it happened because it was the passengers who had to stay on the plane for hours without food, not the world leaders currently at the climate summit in Glasgow.

These climate activists often violate what is considered a central feature of disobedience – nonviolence – even if they say the opposite.

There is definitely a big difference between blocking the road or refusing to board a plane and physically assaulting people. But the effects of roadblocks and airport vandalism are life-threatening.

When blocking Roads, ambulances and fire trucks are prevented from arriving for several days, which can lead to people dying even if they have saved their lives in poor condition. And running on airport runways is life threatening. Hans Kizal, an aviation safety expert, says there is a risk of a small plane crashing after such an incident for the activist and passengers who could be attacked. DN.

These potential consequences blur the line between activism and terrorism in this case.

Demonstrating is one thing. That is a democratic right. But blocking roads and planes is legally and morally wrong.

read more: Development is the answer to the seasonal question

read more: Destructive rhetoric will not solve the climate crisis

Karin Bill is a leading writer at Godforks-Boston.