Talia Wooden spent a year living on the frontlines of the resistance movements against High Speed Railway 2 in the UK, a project that would decimate local ecosystems and potentially contaminate water that reaches millions of people in the West London area. Amid the isolation that came with COVID-19, protesters created a community to effectively resist the railway’s expansion and rekindle connections with the ecosystems they were protecting. Camps were set up along the railway’s intended pathway, with protesters sleeping in hammocks and tree houses in the canopy. Protesters were of all different socio-economic backgrounds, livelihoods, ages, and more, creating a diverse and resourceful movement. Despite the risks they faced, the protesters found strength through their activism and acknowledged their privilege to have minimal comparative risk than many across the world while doing so. In the midst of the dangers, connections are strengthened, cultures are shared, alternative sustainable lifestyles are rediscovered, and community prevails.
