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“Stormtrooper! Where’s your gun?”
“Darth Vader stole it… If you see him, get it back for me…”
“Yes! No problem, I’ll get it!”
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28th January: Greenpeace Street Campaign against Volkswagen in Southbank.
The above was just one of many quick, random and muffled conversations I had with kids aged 3-12 on the Southbank last Saturday. My first rule of stormtroopering (not an actual word… yet): connect with the children. Children, funnily enough, love costumes! And love having their picture taken next to you. Second rule of stormtroopering club: If all else fails (and by all else, I mainly mean high fives and dramatic gestures) do a jig or dance. Nobody can resist a dancing stormtrooper. Fact. Third rule: Go to the toilet beforehand. This is very, very important. Probably should be rule number one.
With these three simple rules, anybody can be an effective stormtrooper!* Next, you set challenges… getting people to stop, entertaining passers-by, recording handshakes and inducing wry smiles. You know once they do stop, the campaign message is a popular one. It’s not like you’re fighting an uphill battle. The public want to show their support for a greener planet! Who’d have thought it…
*Can you tell I’m writing this whilst a TV shopping channel is on in the background…
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“Can you bend your arm?”
*Bends arm*
“Wow! I didn’t think you could do it!”
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When 5 senses become 2 ½.
When the ‘trooper mask goes on you quickly become sense-deficient: hearing, sight, ability to communicate and movement diminishes. You definitely can’t eat or smell anything. Stairs are the worst thing ever invented. I did not look graceful trying to negotiate the steps just outside Shakespeare's Globe. It’s truly baffling how the Galactic Empire ever managed to enforce imperial rule with the stormtroopers in tow. Although... I guess it does explain how Luke Skywalker and the gang made it off the Death Star relatively easily that time.
In addition to being sense impaired and left to ponder the larger questions concerning the Star Wars universe, you are, more importantly, a campaign reference point making the street campaigners job that little bit easier. And hopefully, a little more fun! On Saturday the volunteers did what they do best: Engaging with the public. Four groups and four ‘troopers spread out along the Southbank successfully catching the day trade around the Royal Festival Hall, London Eye, Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre before heading to the local pub, The Founders Arms. Greenpeace campaigners are nothing if not cultural and practical in their location choices.
The community is strong within us.
The day was a strong, grassroots Team-London effort. A move to emulate past successful campaigns with the power of local co-ordination! Tagline! In the end, representatives of Camden, South West London, Bethnal Green and Islington (between 20-30 people altogether) came together and got 700+ petition cards signed asking Volkswagen to stop lobbying, cut their CO2 output and implement more green technology within their fleet. Not bad. Not bad for a cold, grey Saturday in January. It certainly made all the jigs and the lack of layers worn worthwhile for this particular veteran stormtrooper.
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“Who is your favourite Star Wars character?”
“Probably… Han Solo. How about you?”
“I don’t have one yet.”
“Well, stay away from the Darkside…”
“Ok!”
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