On 9 July, climate activists from Extinction Rebellion (XR) climbed on the roof of the county hall in Lewes to hold a banner saying: ‘ESCC: Which side are you on? Fossil fuels or climate action?’
On the ground, in front of the building, was a colourful and noisy Divest East Sussex (DES) protest featuring an ‘oil monster’ and a giant pair of cardboard scissors.
XR South East and DES, who had co-ordinated their actions, called on East Sussex county council (ESCC) to cut its ties with Big Oil and stop investing over £20mn of local peoples’ pensions in fossil fuels.
In June, it was revealed that a long-delayed vote on divestment would be postponed yet again – even though a report commissioned by ESCC (and costing £55,000) appeared to support the case for divestment.
DES has been campaigning for over 10 years on the issue. XRSE has also targeted ESCC on climate inaction, occupying its offices in July 2022. This is the first time the two groups have officially joined forces to organise NVDA.
