Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate activists protested in central London yesterday (Saturday, April 9) to call for an end to investment in fossil fuels.
The XR Bristol group were also present as they marched through the capital and staged sit-down protests at several landmarks across the city. Hundreds of protesters gathered initially at Speaker's Corner at Hyde Park in the morning before moving on to Oxford Street and Regent Street.
At these locations, they sat in the road and blocked traffic in the heart of the capital's shopping district. Chants of "save our planet" and "whose streets, our streets" were heard by passers-by while banners read "I am here for nature and children", "navel-gazing into disaster" and "life on earth is dying" were also notable.
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Protester Verel Rodrigues, 27, a mechanical engineer from Bristol, told the PA news agency: “We are currently in a dire situation and we are appealing to the government to stop investing in fossil fuels. We have no choice. We are sorry to be causing this inconvenience but we don’t have any other choice.
“If an alarm is ringing because your house is on fire, you don’t get p***ed off at the fire alarm. It is trying to save you and we are trying to raise the alarm of what is about to come.”
Another protester from Bristol, Sunita Ramani, 23, who works in environmental communications, said the action was justified. “It’s absolutely not our intention to annoy people and disrupt their lives but looking throughout history civil disobedience has proven to be the most successful way that people are able to make movements like this successful.
“We are doing this on behalf of everyone who deserves to have a liveable, justice-filled future.”
The Metropolitan Police said protesters were disrupting traffic on the famous high streets. The force tweeted: “A number of protesters in Oxford Street and Regent Street are sitting in the road, blocking traffic in both directions. Traffic diversions are being put in place.”
The crowd later headed to Trafalgar Square, where they sat on the roundabout on the edge of Whitehall while a band of drummers played near the base of Nelson’s Column. The Met tweeted that traffic diversions were in place at the square.
London mayor Sadiq Khan said the protest was “counterproductive” adding that demonstrators needed to win over public opinion at the same time as putting pressure on the Government.
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Also read: Bristol city centre 'one of the most dangerous places in England'
