Extinction Rebellion activists outside the News UK building
(Picture: Denise Laura Baker)Extinction Rebellion protesters smashed two windows at the News UK headquarters in London on Tuesday morning in what it said was a protest over the newspaper’s coverage of the heatwave.
Police said they arrested five people on suspicion of criminal damage after the protest which occurred at 6.40am.
News UK is the publisher of The Sun newspaper, which activists accused of downplaying the heatwave by covering their front pages with “images of women in bikinis”.
Tuesday’s copy of the The Sun reads “Britain is melting”, warning of the impact of potential 41C heat.
Extinction Rebellion said two of its activists cracked two windows at the entrance of the building, which also houses the Times newspaper.
Four others then chalk-sprayed “tell the truth” and “40 degrees = death” on the front of the building, it said.
🔥 BREAKING 🔥
— Extinction Rebellion UK 🌍 (@XRebellionUK) July 19, 2022
Happening now - Rebels have cracked windows at News UK & sprayed #TellTheTruth & "40 degrees = Death" to highlight the failure of the Murdoch press to cover the #heatwave & #ClimateCrisishttps://t.co/M4MuD7gUIa pic.twitter.com/RT1LDmZW2U
The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “At approximately 06:40hrs on Tuesday, 19 July police were alerted to damage caused to a building by protestors in London Bridge, SE1.
“Officers attended the scene. Five people have subsequently been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.
“Officers remain in the area and enquiries into the circumstances continue.”
One of the protesters with the eco group, whose members have regularly been arrested for their tactics, claimed the action was being taken because “billionaire owned media” was preventing more action from being taken on climate change.
“My son is 15 years old, which means he’s facing possible societal collapse by the time he reaches his thirties,” said Caspar Hughes.
“He and I will live and die in a world where famine will be measured in billions, war, disease and extreme weather will be far more common place.”
Pictures from the scene showed activists sitting in front of the smashed windows wearing signs which read “non-violent”.
The Sun newspaper has been contacted for comment.
It comes as the UK’s heat record looks set to be broken on Tuesday, with highs of 43C possible.
