Has direct action come unstuck? The state of climate protest in 2025.
Draconian laws, disengagement and doomism; how to arm ourselves with psychological research, legal literacy and effective action logic. Join us for an inspiring discussion with Sam Nadel, Social Change Lab, Kevin Blowe, Netpol, Robin Wells, Fossil Free London and Dr Sarah Stein Lubrano, Don’t Talk About Politics, to unite in active hope for a fairer, more resilient future.
If your financial circumstances are a barrier to you attending this event then we have a limited number of guest list tickets available. Please make the title of your email 'Direct Action Panel Event' and send your message to fossilfreelondon@gmail.com - no questions asked.
Unfortunately under 18s are not allowed at this event
Accessibility info: There are ramps through most of the premises but unfortunately the toilets and DJ booth area are not wheelchair accessible. Please email fossilfreelondon@gmail.com if you have access needs and we will see what we can do to accommodate you.
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More information on the panelists:
Sam Nadel is Director of Social Change Lab, a non-profit researching social movements to understand their role in social change and how they shape politics, public opinion and public discourse. He was previously Head of Policy and Advocacy at Oxfam Great Britain and holds research positions at the University of Bath and University of Exeter, where he has led a range of qualitative and mixed-methods research projects. He is also a PhD candidate at London School of Economics where he is researching alliances in the UK environmental movement.
Kevin Blowe was a founding member of the Network for Police Monitoring (Netpol) in 2009 and has been a staff member since 2014, becoming Campaigns & Media Coordinator in 2025. Netpol’s work highlights and challenges aggressive police tactics, intrusive police surveillance and the government’s expansion of public order powers.
Kevin has been active in community-based police monitoring initiatives since 1990 and spent 25 years as a campaigner with the Newham Monitoring Project in east London. He was also the secretary of the United Families and Friends Campaign, a coalition of bereaved families whose loved ones died in the custody of the state, from 1998 to 2009. For six years to 2019, he worked with anti-fracking groups to challenge the oppressive policing and surveillance targeting their protests. He is a trustee of the Article 11 Trust and the author of “Local Police Monitoring: A Practical Guide” published in 2022.
Robin Wells is the Director of Fossil Free London, one of the biggest climate groups in London. She’s an organiser, spokesperson, and passionate about protecting the right to protest and forming collective strategy to challenge Big Oil.
Dr Sarah Stein Lubrano has a background in feminist, mutual aid, and other local organising as well as teaching in prisons. She holds a PhD from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. Her thinking often reaches the public through the Sense and Solidarity Initiative and the Future Narratives Lab . She was previously the Head of Content at The School of Life and wrote obituaries. She regularly appears on public radio and a variety of podcasts.
