Animal Rebellion members glued themselves to the ground and each other before being arrested by specialist police officers
(Picture: REUTERS)Eight people have been arrested after Animal Rebellion protestors blocked traffic on the road leading to the conference centre where Liz Truss was named Conservative Party leader.
Members of the eco-rights group took a seat in the middle of Storey’s Gate, which leads from Westminster Abbey to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre - where Tory MPs gathered on Monday morning.
Holding a banner, reading ‘plant based future,’ Animal Rebellion said the move was to lobby the prime minister-in-waiting to support their vision.
Four protestors glued themselves to each other and the ground, while two others were found to be in possession of paint, and another two were stopped nearby and found in possession of glue, chains and paint.
BREAKING: Animal Rebellion blocks the road between Westminster Abbey and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre demanding the new #PrimeMinister supports a #PlantBasedFuture pic.twitter.com/DEo6oSJaMy
— Animal Rebellion (@RebelsAnimal) September 5, 2022
Spokesman Joel Scott-Halkes said: “The reason we are blocking the road is because if we do not move towards a plant-based future, we don’t stand a chance of surviving the climate crisis.
“We are calling on Liz Truss of Rishi Sunak (who was defeated in the final ballot) to bring a plant based future before it is too late.”
Animal Rebellion has been staging other protests around the country over the past few days. The group has also called for an end to animal farming and fishing, with land that has been freed up to re-wild.
The Metropolitan Police made the arrests on suspicion of obstructing a highway and attempted criminal damage.
A new PM, a fresh start for the UK Government - the perfect opportunity for real, positive change: a transition to a #PlantBasedFuture.
— Animal Rebellion (@RebelsAnimal) September 5, 2022
@TrussLiz, we urge you to listen to the science, and to hear our demands - for #ClimateJustice and #AnimalJustice pic.twitter.com/heyJIrNzkP
“Met specialist protester removal team officers debonded the four who were glued and arrested them for obstruction of the highway as well as a fifth person who wasn’t glued to the road,” a statement read.
The police said that they were at the scene by 11.30am and had sorted the issue within the hour.
All of those arrested were taken into custody where they remain.
A department for environment spokesman offered: “We have a highly resilient supply chain with 12,500 UK dairy farmers producing around 15 billion litres of milk every year. Supplies of milk or dairy are not expected to be affected by these protests.”
