Families hold die-in under Dippy the dinosaur

• Activists pretend to die in Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum to raise awareness that the accelerating ecological and climate emergency may cause the extinction of the human race

At a pre-arranged signal of a violin playing, approximately 300 people of all ages, many of whom were families, lay down under Dippy, the famous copy of a diplodocus skeleton which is currently touring the UK. The young people and adults lay still on the ground for 20 minutes as if they were dead in order to highlight the danger of extinction. Many held handwritten signs with the question “Are we next?” and some children had drawn pictures of their favourite at-risk animals.

After twenty minutes participants arose to a round of spontaneous applause from onlookers.

The event was organised by the Wee Rebellion, a climate change protest group for young people in Glasgow associated with Extinction Rebellion. It followed a similar event organised by Extinction Rebellion in the Natural History Museum in London last week and is part of the International Mass Die-In and Celebration called for by Extinction Rebellion Berlin.

Aoibhìn, 7, said “Lots of animals are dying out because of climate change so we’re doing it around Dippy the dinosaur which was an animal that died out”. Lida, 12, added “We want to raise awareness about climate change. If we keep carrying on the way we are humans may become extinct, like Dippy”.

The die-in comes as part of a wider Extinction Rebellion protest that started in London in November 2018 and has accelerated since the International Rebellion that began on 15 March, with events such as a banner drop from the Finnieston Crane in Glasgow, a blockade of North Bridge in Edinburgh and mass civil disobedience across Central London.

Extinction Rebellion aims to highlight the severity and urgency of the climate and ecological emergency which could cause food shortages even in the UK and serious flooding in many parts of Glasgow. It also aims to raise awareness of the ongoing sixth mass extinction of life on earth [6] which is being caused by industrial agriculture, overfishing and deforestation and which could also lead to a devastating breakdown of the global food supply.

Organisers of the die-in say that the Wee Rebellion will continue its environmental protests until local and central governments tell the truth about the climate emergency, commit to zero greenhouse gas emissions within 11 years or less and establish Climate Citizens Assemblies to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose.

About Wee Rebellion

The recent IPCC report on climate change paint a pretty bleak picture if we don’t take action. It’s a scary prospect to imagine the challenging future ahead for ourselves and the next generation. Most meetings about activism happen in the evenings which is not ideal for many parents. Many direct actions are not something you can easily take part in with children in tow. So what can parents, children and young people do if we want to help bring about the necessary changes? Join us in open discussion to think about these issues.