Press Release

For Immediate Release
Contact: Panagioti Tsolkas, phone: (330) 423-1823

email: earthfirstroadshow@gmail.com

Website: http://www.earthfirstroadshow.wordpress.com

[pictures available]

Earth First! Spring Roadshow begins in the Arizona, promoting radical environmental action across the United States

U.S.A— Last year, ex-Vice President Al Gore called the blockading of construction sites of new power plants as an appropriate response to the environmental crisis facing the planet. But this was no new mandate to Earth First!, who has been advocating grassroots direct action to protect and restore the planet for near 30 years. This week, the Earth First! movement has launched its largest roadshow since the 1980’s.

The Earth First! Spring Roadshow began in Tucson, Arizona and will
cross the country until July ending at the summer gathering, the 29th
Round River Rendezvous taking place in the Pacific Northwest. The tour
will include presentations, performances and trainings on
environmental civil disobedience, making over 50 stops in all corners
of the country. The travelling group includes activists from various
bioregions representing ecological campaigns against logging, mining,
road expansion, ocean exploitation, energy infrastructure and urban
development.

Also on the agenda of these events will be discussing a new wave of
political repression, coined the “Green Scare”, where environmentalists have experienced a documented increase in government repression, surveillance, harassment, exorbitant sentencing and even entrapment based on their beliefs and politically-motivated actions. There are currently more than 15 ecological and animal advocates serving prison sentences for their efforts, several facing ‘terrorism enhancement” despite no allegations of physical injuries from any of their actions.

“We are on the road to inspire people into taking actions that
confront the sources of catastrophic environmental problems we are
facing. The critique of industrial civilization that Earth First!
brought to the surface three decades ago is no longer a fringe
perspective,” explains Panagioti Tsolkas, an Earth First! Activist
from the Everglades of South Florida.

“There is now a wide spread acceptance of the pending ecological and
climate crisis. But many environmental groups are still accepting
industry-driven solutions, leaving the source of the problems intact.
The intention of this tour is to spread the skills and inspiration
needed for an uncompromising movement to defend and restore the
Earth.”

xxx