Extinction Rebellion founder Hallam sparks outrage
Roger Hallam, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, has downplayed the Holocaust in an interview, saying it was not a unique event in comparison with other genocides. The German section of the global climate protest movement has distanced itself from these statements and Ullstein publishing house has cancelled its plans to publish the German translation of Hallam's book Common Sense. How are the media reacting?
Apocalypticists don't care about anything
For Deutsche Welle, Hallam has left the terrain of democratic discourse:
“From Hallam's and his followers' point of view, this is a logical step. Because if all plants, animals and also all mankind die a heat death due to the climate crisis, everything else loses its meaning. Faced with the apocalypse, at least on this side of the religions, everything becomes meaningless. It no longer matters whether the Holocaust was unique or not. ... Extinction Rebellion, it must be clearly said, is an apocalypse gloom sect. One that relies on emotions and fuels fears. One that refuses to discuss how we can quickly and significantly reduce CO2 emissions and live climate neutrally in the long term. Hallam and his comrades-in-arms are doing the entire climate movement a disservice.”
Movement must distance itself
Hallam's comparing climate change with the Holocaust is unacceptable, Die Presse writes:
“To 'tell the truth' is indeed one of Extinction Rebellion's three goals - although precisely what this group understands by 'truth' is not clear: Hallam's prophecy that the climate crisis will kill billions of people over the next two generations? That the elites have made a 'conscious decision' to 'destroy the next generation in order to remain in power'? The German section of Extinction Rebellion has clearly distanced itself from Hallam's 'trivialising and relativising statements on the Holocaust'. This is good news and helps to demystify the debate. More should follow.”