This letter from the European Grandparents for Climate has been sent in an abbreviated version to the British Prime Minister and in its full version to two members of his government on March 27, 2025. [unofficial Finnish translation]
Protest Against the Arrest of Peaceful Activists at a Quaker Meeting House on March 27
Your Excellency,
We, the European Grandparents for Climate, are an umbrella organization of European organizations formed by elderly people who worry about the climate crisis and its impact on future generations. Today write to you in order to express our profound concern and indignation at the arrest of six peaceful climate activists at a Quaker Meeting House in the United Kingdom on March 27. We had heard about this in our national press and from our member organization in the UK, ‚Our Grandchildren‘s Climate‘.
This incident, involving the detainment of individuals engaged in non-violent protest within a place of peace and spiritual reflection, represents not only a troubling act of criminalization, but an assault on civil society itself. Quakers have a centuries-old tradition of peaceful protest and conscientious resistance. To target such a space is to undermine one of the UK’s most respected traditions of moral and ethical activism.
These young people, like many others around the world, are responding with justified urgency to the ongoing climate crisis and to the inaction of governments in the face of it. Rather than being silenced or punished, their voices must be heard and respected. The future they are fighting for is our shared future.
The suppression of peaceful protest – especially in sacred or historically significant spaces – erodes the foundations of democracy. It sends a dangerous message to younger generations: that peaceful dissent will not be tolerated, that the democratic rights of expression and assembly are conditional and that moral concern can be treated as criminal intent.
As grandparents, we feel a deep moral obligation to stand by those who are fighting for a livable planet. We call on the UK government to:
- Immediately drop all charges against the six individuals arrested on March 27
- Reaffirm its commitment to protecting the right to peaceful protest and civil disobedience.
We urge you to reflect on the long-term implications of these actions. History will not judge kindly those who silence conscience and crush hope.
Sincerely,
Dr. Godela von Kirchbach and Eva Riemer
Co-chairs European Grandparents for Climate