City Hall Tories call on Sadiq Khan to stop Extinction Rebellion occupation of Hyde park
Sadiq Khan has been urged by the Tory caucus in City Hall to stop Extinction Rebellion’s planned occupation of Hyde Park next month.
Susan Hall, leader of the London Assembly Tories, said Khan must intervene to stop the “hypocritical and lawless” climate change protest from taking up police resources.
A spokesperson for Khan said the mayor “supports the democratic right to peaceful protest”, but that “protests must be carried out safely and lawfully and should not put Londoners or the capital’s economic recovery at risk”.
The protest will begin on 10 September, with the group planning to occupy the park for three days.
Extinction Rebellion’s organisers have said the protest will be a “festival of resistance” that will include “movement-building democracy and training”.
Hall pointed out that previous events by the group have led to “criminal damage, road blockages, and other serious criminal behaviour”.
“These activists want to bully the Met Police into allowing a disorderly takeover of Hyde Park, threatening to unleash criminal damage, road blockages, and serious criminal behaviour on London,” she said.
“The mayor needs to intervene, stop the occupation, and allow the police to focus on keeping Londoners safe.”
Extinction Rebellion shot to fame in 2019 for blocking off large parts of central London and blocking the entrances to buildings used by large multinational firms in a series of protests.
Its aims are to force the government to create a net-zero by 2030 target and to convene “citizen assemblies” to decide climate policy.
A spokesperson for Khan said: “The mayor supports the democratic right to peaceful protest and it is evident from the extreme weather events London has experienced in recent years that much more needs to be done to tackle the climate emergency.
“However, Sadiq is clear that protests must be carried out safely and lawfully and should not put Londoners or the capital’s economic recovery at risk.
“The Mayor’s top priority is protecting Londoners and he fully supports the Met’s efforts to keep Londoners safe and to keep our city running.”