An interview with JoJo MehtaShould killing nature be a crime? With JoJo Mehta (Episode 8)0:00/57:541×

There are growing calls for the crime of "ecocide", meaning mass damage and destruction of ecosystems, to be recognised in international criminal law. This would ensure that individuals, company directors, CEOs, can be prosecuted for the ecological damage caused by the organisations they head up, like oil spills, deforestation, or soil pollution, wherever these organisations may be.

Could this be the missing piece in the broader battle against climate change? Is it workable? And what are the steps to get there? In this interview, done live for DiEM TV in May 2023, I interview Jojo Mehta, executive director and co-founder of Stop Ecocide International, to find out.

Mentioned in the podcast

• Stop Ecocide International
• Young Climate Activists Lead Blockade at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
• Eradicating Ecocide by Polly Higgins
• The World We Made by Jonathon Porritt
• #futuregen, Lessons from a Small Country by Jane Davidson

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

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An interview with Miguel DuarteHope in the dark, with Miguel Duarte (Episode 7)0:00/34:011×

Miguel Duarte is young migrants rights activist who helped save 14,000 people and faced 20 years in prison for it.

Back in 2016, the EU migration crisis was at its peak. Tens of thousands of migrants from Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, and other countries were getting stranded in the Mediterranean Sea, trying to reach Europe on small vessels, unfit for purpose.

Using a converted fishing boat, Miguel and his team saved thousands of desperate people. But his mission came to a halt when the Italian government charged him and his crew with aiding illegal immigration.

In this interview, done live for DiEM TV in April 2022, Miguel shares his fascinating story with me. We talk about how he got involved with sea rescue, the tension between changing the system and providing services, and the establishment's dirty tricks campaign against him and his colleagues. And we also explore why the attacks on Miguel ultimately failed, and how as long as the migration crisis persists, activists will be stepping up to address it.

There are some fascinating, timeless insights here that are worth hearing for thinking radicals everywhere.

Mentioned in the podcast

• Seebrücke
• HuBB (Humans Before Borders)
• Open Arms
• "Hope In The Dark" by Rebecca Solnit

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

An interview with Miriam MeyerDisruptive protest, with Miriam Meyer (Episode 6)0:00/39:481×

Just want some edited highlights from our chat? Click here.

About this episode

We're entering a difficult winter here in Europe, with a cost of living crisis and an escalating war in Ukraine. Analysts are predicting a season of activism and civil unrest.

So now is a good time to look at the kinds of protest tactics that force you to pick a side.

My guest is Miriam Meyer, a young German activist with the environmental group Last Generation. She's been getting arrested full time for blocking busy German motorways.

In this interview, done live for DiEM TV in June 2022, we discuss how the group has organised for impact just a few months. And we debate those controversial tactics: does stopping people from getting to work really help your cause?

Miriam gave some thoughtful answers in this interview that we can all learn from. I hope you'll get value out of it for your own activist projects.

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

An interview with Chris SmallsTaking the power back, with Chris Smalls (Episode 5)0:00/32:591×

Chris Smalls is known today as the man who took on Amazon and won. He's the leader of the first successful union drive in Amazon's history.

He's inspired workers the world over. He's campaigned with Bernie Sanders. Time Magazine asks: "Is Chris Smalls the future of labor?"

But back when I spoke to him for this interview in May 2020, in a live show for the political movement DiEM25, Chris was the ex-Amazon employee who exposed the corporations unsafe practices on COVID. He was just starting to organize against the company.

This interview is especially interesting given Chris's meteoric rise since it was recorded. It offers a look inside the mind of a real David to a corporate Goliath,  someone who took on a problem and flipped it into an opportunity.

I hope you'll enjoy it.

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tips and tactics on how to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS. And sign up to get the weekly Subvrt newsletter, so you don't miss a thing.

A look at how grassroots groups are changing how we tackle COVID, with Vicky van der Togt, founder of the Zero Covid Alliance.

An interview with Vicky van de TogtThe grassroots battle to eliminate COVID, with Vicky van de Togt (Episode 4)0:00/19:161×

You might not know it, but there’s a vast, well-organised international grassroots effort to address the gaps in our governments’ response to COVID.

I spoke to Vicky van der Togt, founder of the Zero Covid Alliance and a central figure in this grassroots mobilisation, to learn more about how it works, the victories they’ve had so far, and how anyone can get involved. We also talk about the Zero COVID strategy, COVID myth-busting, and Vicky’s own experience of the disease.

It was a fascinating chat – despite the audio issues – and I hope you’ll find it as eye-opening as I did.

This interview was originally recorded live for DiEM TV.

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tactics to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS.

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An inspiring, hands-on interview with the activist Radomir Lazovic, one of the founders of Don’t Let Belgrade Drown, a political movement that’s making big waves (!) in Serbia.

An interview with Radomir LazovicCreative protest and how to build a movement, with Radomir Lazovic (Episode 3)0:00/29:401×

An inspiring, hands-on interview with the activist Radomir Lazovic, one of the founders of Don’t Let Belgrade Drown, a political movement that’s making big waves (!) in Serbia.

We talk about how to build a movement, protesting in COVID times, making the jump from being a grassroots group to a political party competing in elections, and of course those creative tactics that Don’t Let Belgrade Drown has become known for.

This interview was originally recorded live for DiEM TV.

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tactics to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS.

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An interview with Antonis BougiasExposing the far-right, with Antonis Bougias (Episode 2)0:00/27:351×

What do you do, when your country is holding the biggest trial of a Nazi party since Nuremberg, and the media can’t be trusted to cover it properly?

I spoke to Antonis Bougias, a key person in the Golden Dawn Watch grassroots journalism project in Greece, to find out.

We talk about the rise and fall of Golden Dawn, the project and the media failures that made it necessary, how to measure impact, and the challenge of trying to remain impartial in the face of neo-nazi ideology.

Antonis gives us some great insight into an unconventional but effective digital activism project. The far-right is gaining power across the world, so the story of how he and his colleagues are tackling them in Greece, is increasingly relevant for all of us.

Subvrt is a podcast for thinking radicals, hosted by Mehran Khalili. It features interviews with people who confront power, and tactics to make change happen. Subscribe on iTunes, Google, Spotify or RSS.

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What do you do when your country is holding the biggest trial of a Nazi party since Nuremberg, and the media can’t be trusted to cover it properly? We speak to Antonis Bougias, a key person in the Golden Dawn Watch grassroots journalism project in Greece, to find out.