Extinction Rebellion activist dressed as Boris Johnson scales Big Ben scaffolding
An Extinction Rebellion protester has started free climbing up the scaffolding of Big Ben as the protests draw to a close today.
The climber flew two Extinction Rebellion banners from the London landmark “to highlight government inaction on the climate and ecological emergency”.
Read more: Extinction Rebellion protesters block Oxford Circus junction
The climate change protest group identified the man as 43-year-old tree surgeon Ben Atkinson. He clambered up the scaffolding dressed as Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
His banner carried the message: “No pride on a dead planet.” Another banner read: “Citizens Assembly”.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed officers are in attendance.
“Police were called at 15:33hrs on Friday, 18 October to reports of a man climbing up scaffolding surrounding Big Ben,” the Met said. “Officers remain on scene.”
Meanwhile thousands of people are currently arriving in Trafalgar Square for a ceremony to mark the penultimate day of Extinction Rebellion’s London protests.
The Met has banned the protesters from the London landmark.
Earlier today Extinction Rebellion protesters marched through Whitehall, spray-painting washable red handprints against six government buildings.
Around 3,000 of these protesters are set to join XR at Trafalgar Square.
The climate change protest group has spent two weeks in London actively disrupting traffic and public transport.
The group wants the government to do more to combat climate change. Measures it has called for include creating a carbon-free economy by 2025.
Extinction Rebellion earlier distanced itself from a controversial Tube protest that saw eight people arrested at Canning Town, Stratford and Shadwell stations.
One climate change protester was dragged from the roof of a train at Canning Town before commuters attacked him.
Read more: Eight arrested after Extinction Rebellion protesters cause rush hour chaos
Today Extinction Rebellion admitted a video of the incident “was highly distressing to watch” and that “very few people in XR wanted this to happen”.
It added: “The group involved… was operating at the grassroots level; they received the feedback from the wider movement and made their own decision.”
A larger protest had been planned for Gatwick airport today but only a handful of activists appeared after the group scaled down action following the backlash from yesterday’s protest.
That was a far cry from the chaos that engulfed London City Airport last week, when a Paralympian managed to clamber on top of a plane.
The Met has confirmed that police have arrested 1,768 people in connection with the Extinction Rebellion protests over the last fortnight.
Action began at the start of last week when activists targeted the roads around Westminster in a bid to put pressure on parliament to act on climate change.
Protesters set their sights on Canada earlier this week. They blocked the entrance to the Walkie Talkie building and tried to blockade the roads around Bank station and the Bank of England.
Police arrested 90 protesters in response and later banned them from Trafalgar Square, clearing out tents and activists after initially confining protests to the landmark.
Read more: Face it, Extinction Rebellion are causing more harm than good for the climate cause
Action began to conclude today, with one more day of protests planned until tomorrow’s official 6pm finish.
Extinction Rebellion said in a statement: “To Londoners, we are sorry for disrupting you. We don’t do this out of malice, we do it because we are scared and we care. For many of us, this is our home, and we love it too.”
Main image credit: Extinction Rebellion