Climate change protests snarl up central London, 135 arrested

(Reuters News, 7 Oct 2019) Climate change protesters blocked traffic across London’s government district of Westminster on Monday as they launched two weeks of peaceful civil disobedience to call for urgent action to curb carbon emissions.

Police said they had arrested 135 activists from the Extinction Rebellion group by 1130 GMT.

The group expects 10,000 people will come to the capital from across Britain to join the two-week protest, which is part of a coordinated international movement. There were similar climate protests on Monday in Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Madrid and other cities around the world.

Large crowds of protesters blocked some of Westminster’s largest and busiest roads, bridges and squares, carrying banners with slogans such as “Climate change denies our children a future unless we act now”.

Banging drums and chanting, they took over the tourist hotspot of Trafalgar Square and marched down the Mall, the broad tree-lined avenue that leads to Buckingham Palace.

Some activists glued or chained themselves to cars parked in the middle of roads or to street lamps, making it hard for police officers to detain them.

External link

Reuters News, 7 Oct 2019: Climate change protests snarl up central London, 135 arrested