How does Friends of the Earth use the Internet?
Extensively. FOE England, Wales, Northern Ireland (FOE EWNI) has one of the largest green websites in the world, and there are also sites for Friends of the Earth International (FOEI), Friends of the Earth Europe, many of our local and regional groups in the UK, and many of the 68 countries in our international network. We organise, agitate and educate - all on the Net.

What sort of protest activities does FOE get involved in?
They vary from group to group, but we commonly organise large and small-scale peaceful protests around such issues as GM crops, climate change, traffic, planning issues such as Heathrow Terminal 5 etc. We are also getting into online protests such as a mass "text mail" mobile phone protest planned for our campaign on railways.

If you have an imminent protest, do you use the Internet to co-ordinate? How?
We would post details of many forthcoming events on our website, and use e-mail extensively to co-ordinate work. We are also using an online group of committed activists called Campaign Express who commit in advance to participate in a series of FOE online actions.

How else does the Internet help your movement?
Through the rapid dissemination of information around the planet. In some ways the Internet has helped make global NGOs more powerful or influential than they were in competition with Governments, international organisations and corporations. The Internet is a leveller between small, medium and large organisations.

How does a green activist overcome technofear and embrace the Internet?
In my experience greens are particularly ready to use computers. I know of hardly any environmental campaigners who don't as a matter of fact. This goes for grassroots and direct action protestors, every bit as much as larger NGOs such as FOE. If I met someone who was nervous, I would suggest thinking of a factual question to which they have long wanted to know the answer and then typing the keywords into the Google search engine. The first time you do this it appears miraculous when relevant documents appear in a fraction of a second. One trial and you're hooked!

Do you have any tips for online campaigning?
Make your website simple, accessible and entertaining, and market it effectively to Internet search engines. Learn to discriminate between useful Internet material and junk. Just because it's on a webpage doesn't make it true! Data capture is crucial to Internet campaigning - make sure people who want to help can readily leave their contact details, and if you can manage this, their money!

What are your views on cyberterrorism?
I am not sure quite what cyberterrorism is supposed to be - other than a frightening buzzword for Daily Mail readers. I am against destructive behaviour online or anywhere else. There may be a role for peaceful direct action in particular campaigns - on or off-line. Those who engage in such action must always practise self-discipline and be prepared to make themselves publicly accountable for their actions. There may be some limited exceptions to these principles - for example if a flagrantly nazi website got anonymously hacked off the Net I would shed no tears.

What do you think the future is for online activism?
For all the reasons given above it will continue to grow. The Internet helps to create and cement virtual communities of campaigners as much as anyone else.

Content last updated: 01/07/2005

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