Red Bird #1 | What is Red Bird?

The Red Bird Collective introduces their new ecological movement bulletin – a project aiming to increase discussion amongst the ecological left.

‘Yesterday I was reading about the reasons for the disappearance of song birds in Germany. The spread of scientific forestry, horticulture, and agriculture, have cut them off from their nesting places and their food supply. More and more, with modern methods, we are doing away with hollow trees, waste lands, brushwood, fallen leaves. I felt sore at heart.’

Rosa Luxemburg, Letter to S Liebknecht, May 1917

In prison, amongst the bloodshed of the First World War, Rosa Luxemburg, leading figure of German socialism, wrote.

She wrote not just about her imprisonment and political matters – she wrote about plants and animals. Her letters are full of rich descriptions of nature, particularly song birds which she took great comfort in.

These letters reveal someone not just committed to class struggle, but one deeply interested in the natural world. We’ve taken inspiration from this to name this bulletin Red Bird.

Today ecological breakdown is accelerating. Militarism is on the rise around the world. Arrests and attacks on environmentalists seem to be growing. Every few months brings news of prison sentences for those taking action.

Just as Rosa Luxemburg was surrounded by repression at a time of great destruction, we too find ourselves in disastrous times.

But just like her, we must believe in the capacity of the exploited and oppressed to change the world. Liberation is possible.

 But to achieve this, we have to get stronger and more effective. There are a dizzying array of groups which have emerged since the explosion of ecological protest in 2018. Some are engaged in electoral work, others escalating forms of direct action, and a whole host of activities in-between. In these scary and confusing times – we need to learn from and discuss the best activities of our movement.

Red Bird is a new bulletin started by rs21 members for those interested in fighting capitalism and environmental destruction.

We’re inspired by workplace bulletins. Where workers distribute a newsletter reflecting on their organising amongst a union, sector, or workplace. We want to do the same for the environmental movement in Britain.

Red Bird is a space for discussion and debate for the radical ecological and climate justice movement. Each issue will aim to update on actions, gather reports on worker organising for climate, and be a forum for debates on tactics and strategy.

We aim to bring together everyone fighting for a planet without exploitation of people and nature.

We want to hear from activists doing workplace organising for ecological change, people taking direct action against polluters, and those building any working-class power against eco breakdown.

We welcome short letters and also bulletin length pieces reflecting on environmental activity.

What are environmentalists doing right? What aren’t we doing enough of? What should we avoid? How do we unite those committed to ecosocialism more? These are the kinds of questions we want to reflect on.

We make sure that each edition is only two sides of A4, so anyone with access to a printer can take copies and share them. Take them to an event, put them in your local café, give them to your friends, enemies, lovers etc.

We don’t hide the fact that we believe ecological breakdown requires a revolutionary response. We believe that only mass activity, led by workers and the oppressed, will secure victory. For us, ecological politics is part of class struggle and vice versa.

You might not be convinced of this. We hope to win more people round to this perspective. In the meantime, we hope to cut through the noise among environmentalists, help merge the workers and environmental movement, and improve our actions in defence of people and planet. 

The Red Bird Editorial Collective  

ACTION ROUNDUP

June brought the Summer Solstice. The sunshine clearly brought some cheeky environmentalists out of the woodwork.

Just Stop Oil caused outrage on June 19th by spraying Stonehenge with orange cornflour. Right-wing commentators, previously quiet on the ongoing mass extinction of nature, suddenly began professing their love for lichens and desire to defend them with force.

A day later, two further Just Stop Oil activists broke into the private jet section of Stanstead.

Once inside, they sprayed private jets orange whilst blocking them – allegedly attempting to block Taylor Swift’s jet. Of the two actions, our heart is certainly more with the targeting of the wealthy’s mega pollution.

Ithaca Energy’s Annual General Meeting of shareholders was disrupted by activists on June 25th. A joint action of pro-Palestine and ecological activists, people had to be carried out as they disrupted proceedings shouting about Ithaca’s links to Israeli occupation of Palestine and its development of the Rosebank oil field in the North Sea.

After the election, we hope activists continue to develop ways to hold the incoming Government to account on its support for Israeli genocide and ecological breakdown.

Sign up to Red Bird

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🖨 Download a PDF version to print and distribute

You can contact us at: redbirdbulletin@proton.me
We welcome letters of 100-150 words. Bulletin pieces are usually 500-700 words. Feel free to contact the editorial team for a longer discussion.