Extinction Rebellion founder served carrots as vegan option

Extinction Rebellion founder posts furious 391-word 11-point Twitter tirade after hospital staff served him with boiled carrots for dinner

• Roger Hallam, 56, posted his almost-empty plate online alongside the rant 
• The environmentalist is in hospital with a broken leg after falling off his bike 

Extinction Rebellion co-founder Roger Hallam has taken to Twitter to share his frustration in an 11-point thread after he was served carrots and a handful of potatoes for dinner as the ‘vegan option’ in hospital.

Mr Hallam posted a photo of an almost empty plate from his bed which had just a portion of carrots on it, writing 391 words on the environmental benefits of going vegan – but did admit he had already eaten the ‘six’ potatoes that were served on the side.

The controversial environmentalist, 56, who also helped form eco mobs Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil, has been in hospital after ‘crushing’ his leg during an accident while riding his bike.

He was last Friday pictured with an external fixator on his right leg which is used to hold broken bones in place with metal pins or screws.

It comes after a week of ‘slow-marching’ protests by Just Stop Oil across central London, with expected action on Saturday at 12pm in Westminster. 

Extinction Rebellion co-founder Roger Hallam, 56, is currently in hospital with a broken leg

Mr Hallam posted this photo online with the caption ‘vegan option’ and an 11-point Twitter thread

Mr Hallam wrote alongside his paltry dinner portion: ’30 [years] after we were told that refusing to move to plant based diets would result in the greatest spasms of human suffering in our historical experience due to ecological/social collapse, this is what the health service of the 5th largest economy has just served me up for dinner (plus six new potatoes I ate before I took the photo from my hospital bed).’

He went on to stress that he did not blame the NHS or hospital staff, or even the UK’s individual policies on the environment.

Instead, he said the ‘complete failure of the whole global human system’ to adapt to climate change means the world is headed for ‘mass suicide’.

He added at the end of the tirade: ‘PS in case you thinking I am cherry picking for this photo – I have had similar meals for [the] last 5 days.’

Although his lengthy thread did garner well-wishes from some, other social media users were quick to point out that although the meal may look rather scarce, it was vegan.

They also critcised the 56-year-old for admitting he had already eaten a significant part of the food before taking the photo. 

One user replied: ‘Do you want those carrots or not?’

A second said: ‘At least you’ll be able to see in the dark’.

A third added: ‘I don’t think he’s grasped the vegan thing if he’s left his veg.’

Another user, who took issue with the pure length of Mr Hallam’s comments, said: ‘Boiled vegetables causing such gushing, uncontrolled sprays of verbal diarrhoea is a new one, I have to admit.’

Other vegans also responded to the thread, with one saying the provision is not the same in other hospitals.

Read more: Extinction Rebellion founder Roger Hallam is in hospital after ‘crushing’ his leg in a cycling accident ahead of eco-zealots descending on central London for ‘The Big One’ 

David Brudnell wrote: ‘Get well soon. My wife was recently in hospital in Peterborough and we were fearing the lack of vegan options. We were pleasantly surprised. Plenty of choice.’ 

Mr Hallam’s thread continues: ‘This situation is far too serious for easy rhetorical finger pointing. This is not a problem of the hard working staff at this hospital, nor a problem for the hospital or NHS, or of any one country’s “policies”.

‘It is deeply and catastrophically SYSTEMIC – as evidenced by the complete failure of the whole global human system (with one or two peripheral exceptions) to make a system change response. 

‘And the reason for this is because of the totalitarian ethos of utilitarian short termism and freeriderism under conditions of competition – the foundational logic of billions of decisions made every day. 

‘A reformist regime is BY DEFINITION unable to respond to the threat of an all system pathology which is universally existential & exponential. The logic of this system is it will double down on short termism responses as all systems pressures increase: & become more irrational.

‘This “flaw” in the system has been known for decades and is mathematically indisputable on a theoretical level and supported by 30 years of data on the empirical level. 

‘The deepest irrationalism in our human experience is that hundreds of millions of university educated administrators of this mass suicide still resist the only solution at this stage. 

‘To give up their jobs and move into resistance to the system while simultaneously building alternative governmental assemblies to take over from the carbon regimes as they inevitably collapse in the next two decades. 

‘I am involved in building networks of such individuals who can feed into the growing civil resistance organisations around the western world. Message me for details. 

‘Sound mad? Remember you only now have two options – wait to die or take your chances and jump over the fence.’ 

Previously explaining his admission to hospital, Mr Hallam wrote: ‘I am writing this from a hospital bed. See the picture. I fell off my bike and crushed my leg bone.’

He posted on the first day of XR’s latest weekend of protests titled ‘The Big One’ -where Extinction Rebellion, Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil joined forces with several other campaign groups to mobilise around 50,000 environmental protesters in London from April 21-24.

Writing from hospital, Mr Hallam – who owns a farmhouse which was described as ‘poorly insulated’ in an official energy performance certificate – encouraged supporters to take part in further demonstrations, adding: ‘Remember to do the JSO slow marches if you are in the UK.

‘But most of all remember we are going to have the biggest life experiences imaginable in the next decade and we all need to stick by each other and push on through. And be cheerful about it.

‘Lots of love from the hospital! x (thanks to the NHS)’.

Aside from his campaign work for the environment, Mr Hallam has previously come under scrutiny for comparing the murder of six million Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis to other historical massacres, while he also claimed that the memory of the Holocaust was holding Germany back.

The former organic farmer was quickly condemned by Extinction Rebellion groups in Germany after his comments with a newspaper in the country.

It was announced in July 2020 that Mr Hallam no longer has a formal role in XR, and has since moved on to Just Stop Oil.

Just Stop Oil, which is a group dedicated to demanding an end to all new fossil fuel projects in the UK, has caused chaos in central London this week after a series of slow marches designed to stop traffic.

The action caused Home Secretary Suella Braverman to announce tougher legislation against peaceful protesters to enable police officers to remove them from roads more quickly. 

MailOnline has contacted Mr Hallam for comment. 

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