Extinction Rebellion co-founder reveals she was inspired to begin the climate change protest movement after taking ‘psychedelic medicines’ | Watts Up With That?
Extinction Rebellion co-founder reveals she was inspired to begin the climate change protest movement after taking ‘psychedelic medicines’ as group shuts down central Manchester
- Gail Bradbrook, 47, said she ‘prayed in a deep way’ while taking substances
- She told BBC Inside Out West that her prayer was answered within a month
- Protests have since caused road and commuter chaos around the country
- Latest disruption brought to Deansgate area of Manchester on Friday
By Harry Howard For Mailonline
Published: 08:05 EDT, 1 September 2019 | Updated: 08:14 EDT, 1 September 2019
One of the co-founders of Extinction Rebellion has revealed she began the movement after taking ‘psychedelic medicines’ – just days following the shutdown of central Manchester by climate protesters.
Gail Bradbrook, 47, a molecular biologist, said she ‘prayed in a deep way’ while taking the substances on a retreat.
She told a BBC Inside Out West documentary that her prayer was answered within a month, with Extinction Rebellion formed last year.
Since then, protests in London and around the country have caused chaos, with a week of protests in July causing widespread disruption in the capital and the latest protest in Manchester on Friday bringing misery to drivers.
Gail Bradbrook, one of the co-founders of Extinction Rebellion, has revealed she began the movement after taking ‘psychedelic medicines’ – just days after climate protesters shut down central Manchester
Ms Bradbrook said: ‘I’ve always been interested in how things change, in social change,’ she told the documentary.
‘I was involved in the animal rights movement as a young woman, I’ve been involved in thinking about gender and issues around racism and so on.
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Ms Bradbrook, a molecular biologist, said she ‘prayed in a deep way’ while taking the substances on a retreat. She told a BBC Inside Out West documentary that her prayer was answered within a month, with Extinction Rebellion formed last year
‘It was a really intense experience and I actually prayed for what I called the codes for social change, I thought there must be something I don’t understand, and within a month my prayer was literally answered.’
Extinction Rebellion began in Stroud, Gloucestershire, with large protests spreading quickly across the UK.
Dr Bradbrook described how it started with around 12 people in her house but went global within a year.
‘We know we’ve got about 100,000 people on the database in the UK and we reach about a million people with the social media,’ she said.
‘We’ve got 130 groups across the UK. We’re in 59 countries and it’s growing all the time.’
Since the group was formed last year protests around the country have caused chaos, with a week of protests in July causing widespread disruption in the capital and the latest protest in Manchester on Friday (pictured) bringing misery to drivers
The movement has three demands for the UK Government: to declare a climate and ecological emergency; to act to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025; and to create and be led by the decisions of a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice.
During the documentary, cameras were allowed into an Extinction Rebellion meeting in Stroud.
A number of those taking part in the meeting are seen holding each other and crying.
Simon Bramwell, another co-founder, told the BBC: ‘Depending on the group, we’ll have prayers. We have a lot of Christians and Quakers involved in Extinction Rebellion.