CW: abuse in climate justice movements (no details, but mention of sexual violence)
The climate justice movement is fertile ground for abusers and rapists. Not because people in the movement are more likely to be abusers, quite the contrary. It's obviously a scene that attracts people who care deeply about something worthwhile - so deeply that they are willing to do activism around it. Many people are very committed (for good reason in my opinion!). Abusers LOVE to prey on this type of person.
As climate activists, we tend to be:
- caring
- compassionate
- thinking about others before ourselves
- willing to change our lifestyle
- willing to spend time, effort, and money, or give up money-making opportunities for the greater good
- willing to face uncomfortable truths, to endure emotional turmoil, to look and bear witness even (or especially) when it hurts and is scary
All abusers gotta do is find someone in this crowd who will do all those things for THEM (except under emotional deception, manipulation and coercion). It's an all-you-can-eat buffet here!
And/or they portray themselves as a hero who has it more together than most, who shows up to all the cool actions, does the prestigious or crucial work (giving lectures and speeches, doing logistics, cooking), makes themselves irreplaceable. Someone like that could be someone who cares, someone who uses their privileges for good, but they can also have it more together and be able to invest more because they care more about self-aggrandisement than the suffering that climate change is causing.
They're not burning out because they're emotionally leeching off the community. Many abusers are very good at pretending to care deeply and passionately, when really that's just a mask they take on and put down when it pleases them, when it benefits them.
Or they could be preying on the more vulnerable members of the movement sexually. I've had this happen and so did other friends who were vulnerable, who were already traumatised, who are queer, trans, neurodivergent, disabled - and open about all this because finally here is a scene that embraces diversity, or claims to at least! Don't ask where all the POC are though...
... or maybe do! As @DionRa pointed out to me, spaces that are not doing enough to keep abusers out also tend to be majority white, because abuse and bigotry/oppression like racism is the same principle, just applied on different scales. We absolutely cannot overcome racism, sexism or structural injustice while letting abusers roam freely in our midst. They are poisoning our movement and weakening it in so, so many ways.
The reason I can't be at actions or gatherings in person any more is because I was traumatised too heavily BY members of the climate justice movement themselves! It wasn't outside forces like the police or fascists or evil corporations or climate disasters, it was the people who were too powerful in these supposedly anarchist-leaning spaces to get kicked out or even be called out.
What we need is a commitment to keep our groups, movements and spaces safe from abuse, emotional manipulation and toxic behaviour and to empower victims/survivors. To have just as many flyers, zines, books, workshops and talks about how to spot and counter abuse tactics as we do about other safety issues like police repression and reminders to bring sunscreen to protests.
#Climate #ClimateJusticeMovement #ClimateJustice #activism #burnout #MentalHealth #ActivistBurnout #Safety #AbuseCulture #abuse #AbuserTactics
