Just Stop Oil protesters have blocked off The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace in London.
Around 30 activists started sitting on the road at 8.45am wearing orange high-visibility jackets and holding Just Stop Oil banners.
Several police officers and police liaison attended the scene and one police officer asked: “How long are you going to be here?”
A protester replied: “Until we get a new government.”
A police liaison officer then reportedly said: “Let me know if I can I do anything for you.”
The protester replied: “Not unless you have a letter from Liz Truss.”
A police source told The Telegraph the approach was proportionate, and said: “Obviously, people have a right to protest – when it becomes unlawful then a decision will be taken as to how to resolve this and if enforcement is necessary to do this.”
With eight police vehicles lining the street, one taxi driver shouted at the demonstrators: “F------ load of w------. Go and get a real f------ job.”
One Scottish man on a bike shouted words of support. He said: “Go on the protesters, you're doing great work. Stay strong.”
Pictures of the protest outside Buckingham Palace
‘We would walk 500 miles to just stop oil,’ say Scottish protesters
Emma Brown, 31, who lives in Glasgow and is one of the protesters, said that the activists “would walk 500 miles” to “just stop oil”.
Ms Brown said that the protesters had come down from Scotland and that this was her first demonstration.
She said: “We’ve come down because the Government is pressing ahead with over 100 new fossil fuel licences.
“And that is literally a death sentence for all of us here and for all of you.
“So we can’t allow this to continue. We have to have a cut-off somewhere. We’ve seen the effects already on our doorstep. We’re seeing the effects all over the globe. And this madness has to stop.”
Changing of the Guard prompts police to clear road
Police are searching the protesters before they remove them from The Mall.
Some of the activists have glued their hands together.
Police have said that they have to clear the road for the Changing of Guard, which they have said starts in 15 minutes.
Police have started arresting the protesters on The Mall.
The first two left the road of their own volition and were taken to a police van while others were physically lifted by officers to different vans.
As of 10.30am, more than half of the protesters were removed by police, but 11 activists remained.
Some of whom glued themselves together or to the road.
Pupils from Park Mains High School, Erskine, in Renfrewshire, are at the scene watching the protesters.
One teacher said: “Let’s get a photo with the activists!”
Another teacher told a pupil off for filming in a demonstrator’s face.
The schoolboy said: “But they’re protesters, they want the attention.”
The teacher replied: “Don’t do that again. Wind your neck in.”
