Activists, community groups and campaigners came together in Poole on Saturday 11 October 2025, for a march for climate justice. Extinction Rebellion Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (XR BCP) organised the event as part of Black History Month. The march highlighted the deep links between the climate crisis, colonialism and corporate exploitation — both globally and locally.
Starting in Poole Park and finishing at Poole Quay, the march traced the town’s own colonial past while demanding justice for communities and ecosystems harmed by British and multinational corporations, including Perenco, the French oil company responsible for the 2023 oil spill in Poole Harbour.
Daniel Glennon, XR BCP spokesperson said:
“What happened in Poole isn’t an isolated mistake — it’s part of a global system of harm.
Across the world, from Gabon to Peru, from the DRC to Guatemala, Perenco leaves a trail of destruction. Decisions that devastate lives and ecosystems in the Global South are being made in offices right here in the UK and France. We demand justice for Poole, and for every frontline community harmed by this company’s greed.”
Sarah Abbott, of Dorset Animal Action, connected the fight for climate justice to the fight for animal liberation:
“You cannot talk about ending climate breakdown without ending animal exploitation. Animal agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of deforestation, pollution and extinction — a system that depends on suffering can never be sustainable.
When we stand for animal justice, we stand for climate justice too.”
XR BCP member Liz Brereton spoke about the importance of confronting local colonial history, noting Poole’s involvement in the slave trade and the ongoing legacy of exploitation:
“The demand for cheap goods and resources still drives the same exploitation of people and nature that began centuries ago.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can choose to live differently — to act, shop, travel, and invest in ways that honour the wellbeing of people, animals and planet.”
The march brought together environmental, racial justice, animal rights and social justice groups from across Dorset, carrying banners with messages such as
- Decolonise Climate Activism
- Perenco Out – Stop the Harm
- Climate Justice = Debt Cancellation
XR BCP said the march was part of an ongoing campaign to highlight how inequality, colonialism and corporate power continue to shape the climate crisis — and to stand in solidarity with communities on the frontlines of environmental harm worldwide.
Daniel Glennon concluded:
“From Poole to Peru, from Dorset to the DRC — the fight for climate justice is one fight. We stand in solidarity with all communities resisting exploitation and demanding a livable, just future for all.”
Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion (XR) is a decentralised, international and politically non-partisan movement using nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
Time has almost entirely run out to address the climate and ecological crisis which is upon us, including the sixth mass species extinction, global pollution, and increasingly rapid climate change. If urgent and radical action isn’t taken, we’re heading towards 4˚C warming, leading to societal collapse and mass loss of life. The younger generation, racially marginalised communities and the Global South are on the frontline. No one will escape the devastating impacts.
XR Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Dorset Animal Action
Dorset Animal Action is a coalition of individuals, campaigns, groups and rescue projects committed to championing justice, freedom, and protection for all animals.
Dorset Animal Action is dedicated to uniting individuals and campaign groups across Dorset to create a powerful animal freedom movement. We aim to build a strong and resilient movement ecosystem that harnesses diverse strategies and tactics, identifies gaps and opportunities in our movement and empowers local communities to drive meaningful change for animals.
Social movements of the past have been most successful when groups using diverse tactics and strategies come together and collaborate. We hope that strong movement building in Dorset will form part of a larger movement emerging across the UK.
For more information contact: xrbournemouth@louisehoughton
