A new project against the HS2 development has launched today. Below, Freedom publishes what the people behind it would like you to know.
Rage Against HS2 is an outreach campaign that aims to spread awareness of the destructive HS2 project. We aim to create outreach by giving a voice to the campaigners and activists about why they are protesting. Music is a very therapeutic tool and is an underrated outreach tool, so we are kick-starting this with an album. People are angry about what HS2 is doing and need an outlet to reflect on this.
Jay Terrestrial from Inner Terrestrials, who is involved in the project, said:
“I was asked to help put together this compilation to raise awareness for the campaign against HS2, an environmental disaster wrapped up in a looters manifesto. It’s a subject close to my heart and I’m proud to say that with all the diverse contributions, some folk, punk, ska, pop, rock, experimental… Some from musicians living on the camps the collective have collaborated to make a great album for a great cause.”
We aim to support people with feelings of rage, anger, and grief, to be able to speak out about these emotions whilst raising awareness and using music and art as a therapeutic outlet.
We have had valuable support in the campaign to stop HS2 for wellbeing for activists through meditation, co-counselling, consent workshops, crystal healing and similar, however we identified a gap where people are experiencing anger and grief that can manifest in many ways, and this is certainly not limited to the protest camps. Thousands of people, families and animals of all walks of life are victims. People, animals, and the planet are suffering because of the effects of HS2 and we hope to bring an injection of positivity and fun, celebrating also the successes.
Whilst this campaign is primarily for outreach, we felt that any fundraising we make on the way be shared out to give back in a positive way, to help with burnout, wellbeing, and giving back to communities.
Hayley from Rage Against HS2 said:
“Burnout is real. Music is therapy. With such a destructive and heartbreaking project we want to bring out the light in the campaign. Music art poetry and theatre has been very therapeutic for many campaigners and activists in the fight to put an end to HS2 and everything it represents”
The album is a diverse range of genres to reflect the diversity of our campaign and we hope to release further albums for as many people to have a voice who wish to express their rage against HS2 through music and poetry.
Rage Against HS2
The Rage Against HS2 project aims to put an end to HS2, the deforestation and destruction of the environment and wants to support activists and campaigners against HS2 with wellbeing resources for feelings of rage, anger and grief at the impact on them, the public, nature and the planet as well as aiming to give back to communities affected by the HS2 project in the form of supporting community gardens and rewilding projects and animal hospitals.
By doing this our overall objective is to end the HS2 infrastructure project through outreach with music and workshops.
The campaign is both for outreach and fundraising. Fundraising will be broken down into parts:
Activist burnout and wellbeing
This is not limited to the protest camps but we aim to support anyone suffering rage, anger, grief and burnout on the protest campaigns. Many people are dedicating their whole lives to the protest and don’t necessarily live full time on the protest sites. We refer to those people as transient persons and the workshops will be open to all. We aim to source and fund over heads for workshops at camps and protest events and festivals, resources for camps for example books on related topics, and shared burner phones for activists to stay in touch with loved ones and access certified helplines or therapists/ring their GP and so on. The ways in which this section of the fundraiser are not limited and will change with the needs of people but within the remit of dealing with rage, grief and burnout.
Holistic remedies and first aid for protest camps opposing HS2
Protest camps are run solely on donations. Health and wellbeing are vital to the people in occupation and it can be easy to neglect your needs when living and breathing the fight on the front line.
We want to buy from small independent businesses to supply the camps with holistic remedies, plus essential first aid kits for minor injuries.
Community gardens and similar rewilding projects in areas
HS2 not going to be carbon zero for at least 120 years and currently, 111 people per day die of air pollution in the UK, 26 of which live in London. HS2 is desecrating the countryside and our environments in one of the biggest destructions of land in UK history.
We are in a climate and ecological emergency and it is the children who will have to deal with the consequences of the state of the planet we leave behind for them. We want to use this campaign to raise awareness through the events and album and similar and the money raised to be used for rewilding and community gardens in areas hit by HS2 the hardest, and areas the most polluted. Especially those who work with children.
This will be for example, but not limited to, buying healthy soil to grow in, seeds, saplings and gardening tools. Often it may be that we donate a lump sum to a project to use as they need. We also aim to support wildlife hospitals in the areas where HS2 is destroying the animals’ homes.
The number of projects and amount will depend on the money raised in this campaign and will not be regular for a specific project but as one-off acts of support according to what we have available. We don’t have the capacity to take applications for support but will source projects ourselves.
This album is not for profit and a diverse mix of established and new artists from a variety of genres and backgrounds. We have music and poetry from artists living in occupation of the protest camps in the woodlands and from supporting artists opposed to the HS2 project. The songs are a mixture of topics ranging from being directly about HS2, to anti-capitalist and anti-fascist content to ecocide and destruction of the planet and then also general positive songs about positivity and being strong and determined to achieve something you want.
