Walton, Sam

Sam Walton

Reflections on Extinction Rebellion

9 May 2019Blog Sam Walton

Extinction Rebellion (XR) deserves praise for the impact it is having in streets, in the media and in public discourse. The XR leadership should also be questioned for its approach to diversity and privilege, to climate justice, and to strategy. (This is part of a series of articles discussing XR.)

Extinction Rebellion (XR) has sprung upon us and is mobilising thousands of people to take direct action demanding radical action on climate change. They’ve filled the streets. Thousands of new people are taking action. Despite this most established environmental activists have reacted with criticism, much of which is justified.

Leaders

To understand XR, it is important to note that it has a defined leadership.…

Let’s have a trial

1 August 2017News in Brief Sam Walton and Daniel Woodhouse

Daniel Woodhouse & Sam Walton write: On 10 July, we had our pre-trial hearing at Blackpool magistrates court. We both pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal damage – charges laid after we entered BAE Warton on 29 January to locate warplanes bound for Saudi Arabia. A trial has been scheduled for four days from 23 October in Burnley.

Our barrister Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh of Matrix Chambers was slightly more on the ball than the crown prosecution service, and constructed as…

The hammer has to fall

1 April 2017Feature Daniel Woodhouse and Sam Walton

On 29 January, a Methodist minister and a Quaker activist entered BAE Systems’ Warton site in order to disarm warplanes bound for Saudi Arabia.

Sam Walton (left) and Daniel Woodhouse, holding a replica Seeds of Hope Ploughshares hammer, before their Ploughshares action on 29 January 2017. Photo: Warton Ploughshares

This is a statement carried by the pair when they were arrested inside BAE Warton on 29 January.

Today we intend to enter BAE Warton, to locate warplanes bound for Saudi Arabia, and disarm them. We take this action in order to prevent the export of weaponry that will almost certainly be used in war…