Traffic chaos: Extinction Rebellion occupy London Bridge and BoE sites
Traffic in the heart of London has ground to a halt as Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists stage occupations of key roads during the ninth consecutive day of protests.
Helicopters could be heard overhead as Police blocked off London Bridge, the site of an Extinction Rebellion occupation where activists have glued themselves to a bus blocking the bridge and the road.
Meanwhile, children held up banners and raised their voices in protest during a sit in outside the Bank of England – part of ongoing demonstrations today drawing attention to the impact of climate change on young people.
Luna, an activist with Extinction Rebellion who attended the protest on London Bridge, said that she hoped the demonstration would encourage government to “take seriously” the climate crisis and move forwards the target of net zero from 2050 to 2025.
On Twitter, the Metropolitan Police urged Extinction Rebellion activists to disperse and said that “specially trained officers” were “working to safely remove” activists in order to keep disruption to a minimum.
Today’s disruption is part of XR’s ‘Impossible Rebellion,’ two weeks of action being held in the build up to the UN’s COP26 climate summit. More than 300 arrests have been made by police since the group began their campaign of civil disobedience.
Earlier today activists assembled in Parliament Square to begin a day of demonstrations drawing focus to the impact of climate change on young people. Protestors dressed in black mourning clothes and pushed white prams from Parliament Square to Downing Street to bring home the message that “climate change is killing children.”
Police are expecting it to take a number of hours before the blockage on London Bridge can be cleared. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police warned protestors that arrests will be made.