Vox Pops: Fighting Tax And Climate Injustice @ The Circus Of The Invisible

On October 20 over 100 Ctrl.Alt.Shift foot soldiers and Platform2 volunteers teamed up for our Circus of the Invisible lobby day (click here [1] for the full review). It went down a massive, flamboyant, clown-coloured treat, as our dancers, mime artists, live band and tightroping stars rolled on down the Houses of Parliament to demand all the 'invisible' climate and tax injustices in the world be made transparent; for one and all to wonder, ponder and concur. To sum up - we put on a creative showcase to demonstrate how much we need those in power to stop clowning around, and start making postive change. At the same time, we hit the Westminster streets to ask our young supporters why they had come down, and what fighting for climate and tax justice meant to them...

Charlie, 17

Today I came down to Westminster to check the media that would be outside the Houses of Parliament. There are a lot of students out protesting today because the government cuts are going to effect our education and our future. I think students have an important part to play in activism. One of the things that hasn’t been cut is the aid budget, which I think is important.  In the UK we have a stable economy, and developing countries need the money far more than we do. I think it’s important that so many people have come here today to lobby their MPs face to face; it’s a much more direct means of contact than emails or letters, and makes it much harder to ignore the opinions of the people.

Anna, 21

I’ve volunteered in Peru, and have experienced issues like poverty and climate change first hand. I went to the Amazon, and the weekend we visited, the temperatures were the lowest they’ve ever been. It was extremely shocking to see the effects first hand. I’ve learned a lot about tax justice as part of the campaigns and lobbying today; I can’t believe how much money is stored in tax havens and how much developing countries are getting cheated out of. While a tax system like this is still in operation, there’s no way we can end poverty. That’s why what we’ve been doing today is so important; we need to get the message about these important issues across to the general public as well as our MPs.

Sarah, 21

I perform with a dance company in Liverpool, and I thought that dancing at the protest would be a great way to put the message across. I think Ctrl.Alt.Shift is really good at finding an innovative and positive way of getting young people involved. The impact we’ve had today has been great: my aim would be to make people aware of issues like climate and tax justice. Here in the UK, we’re in a position where we can campaign about these issues and shed some light on those in developing countries who are affected by these issues, but are kept in the dark. The whole point of lobbying your MP is to make your voice heard and get what you want politically.

Jack, 22

Today I’m dressed up as a mime, and have come to participate in Circus of the Invisible in order to act on behalf of those around the world who can’t make their voice heard. I came here today to campaign specifically about climate change, which is something I’m really passionate about. I volunteered with Platform2 in India, and there I saw how even a slight raise in global temperatures can have a huge impact on developing countries. In places like India, where so many people are packed into slums, people are so vulnerable to flooding caused by climate change. In slum communities, if a flood hits, disease becomes rife and people’s lives are ruined. It’s so important that we campaign about these issues in the UK. These causes will continue to remain invisible unless we bring them into the spotlight.

Charlotte, 16

What’s happening today with the government cuts being announced is an example of political systems victimising the most needy and vulnerable, and this is also something that happens all over the world. I think that in these difficult circumstances, unity and solidarity is really important in movements that fight against the status quo. It would be great if everyone linked up and formed coalitions in order to put their case across to the government, both in the UK and abroad. Only by coming together can we ever make a real difference.

Tristan, 19

Volunteering in a developing country really inspired me to get involved in campaigning for justice for developing countries. We’re campaigning for MPs to stand up for tax and climate justice, and raising these issues with your MP directly is a really powerful way to do that.  Before today, I had no idea that multi national companies manage to evade over £160 billion in taxes that should be paid to developing countries. It’s completely eye opening, and really important that we all come together to protest against these unfair systems.

Interviews by the Ctrl.Alt.Shift team.

To take our climate and tax justice actions, click here [2].