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e06: Disruptive protest

1 min

Miriam Meyer is a young activist who gets arrested regularly, for blocking roads with the climate action group Last Generation. In this candid interview, I speak to her about the fine line between pushing your proposals, and turning the public against you.

An interview with Miriam Meyer

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Disruptive protest, with Miriam Meyer (Episode 6)
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About this episode

We're entering a difficult winter here in Europe, with a cost of living crisis and an escalating war in Ukraine. Analysts are predicting a season of activism and civil unrest.

So now is a good time to look at the kinds of protest tactics that force you to pick a side.

My guest is Miriam Meyer, a young German activist with the environmental group Last Generation. She's been getting arrested full time for blocking busy German motorways.

In this interview, done live for DiEM TV in June 2022, we discuss how the group has organised for impact just a few months. And we debate those controversial tactics: does stopping people from getting to work really help your cause?

Miriam gave some thoughtful answers in this interview that we can all learn from. I hope you'll get value out of it for your own activist projects.


Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

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