Extinction Rebellion has today blocked a total of 15 Amazon fulfilment centres in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands on Black Friday, the major global discount day.
In the UK, people from all across the country are taking part, with 13 blockades in Doncaster, Darlington, Newcastle, Manchester, Peterborough, Derby, Coventry, Rugeley, Dartford, Bristol, Tilbury, Milton Keynes and Dunfermline. These sites account for just over 50% of Amazon deliveries in the UK.
The group is blocking the entrances using bamboo structures, lock-ons, and banners with the words ‘AMAZON CRIME’, ‘INFINITE GROWTH, FINITE PLANET’ and ‘BLACK FRIDAY EXPLOITS PEOPLE AND PLANET’ on them.
In Tilbury, a rocket part blocked the entrance with an eager Jeff Bezos sat riding it, and the words ‘To extinction and beyond’ written on its side. The group intends to stay for at least 48 hours.
The group says that the action is taking place on Black Friday in order to ‘confront the exploitative and environmentally destructive business practices of one of the world’s largest companies’.
Chris, a former Amazon employee from Newcastle, said: “Working at Amazon gave me first hand experience of how little the company cares about anything other than making money, and how poorly workers are treated. With new warehouses popping up every month, taking action against Amazon has become an absolute necessity.
“We can no longer live under a system that pushes deadly infinite growth at a time of crisis, manipulating consumers, exploiting workers and destroying the planet. We can no longer live under a system based on manipulated overconsumption coupled with continued, destructive economic growth at a time of imminent ecological collapse. Amazon’s business model has enabled massive growth. As it’s empire grows, so does its exploitation.”
