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LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 16: Police officers remove protesters from a blockade on Waterloo Bridge during the second day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on April 16, 2019 in London, England. More than 100 arrests have been made, with demonstrations blocking a number of locations across the capital. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
A protester is carried away by police on Waterloo Bridge on Tuesday © Getty
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Yasemin Craggs Mersinoglu and Elliott Kime in London April 16 2019
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London police arrested a total of 290 climate protesters who had occupied several thoroughfares for more than 24 hours after declaring the activists were causing “serious disruption”, but the capital’s authorities failed to reopen all the affected roads.
The demonstrations around the centre of the city are being organised by Extinction Rebellion, an environmental movement demanding the UK government declare a climate emergency.
Most of the arrests took place on Waterloo Bridge but officers also detained people who had blocked Oxford Circus, some of them gluing themselves to a 30-foot-long pink boat they had parked in the middle of the key West End crossroads.
Several thousand demonstrators also occupied Parliament Square and Marble Arch and have threatened to extend the disruption to the London Underground on Wednesday.
Sadiq Khan, mayor of London, said such action “would only damage the cause of all of us who want to tackle climate change, as well as risking Londoners’ safety”.
Extinction Rebellion: what pushes people to drastic action on climate change?
The Metropolitan Police said on Tuesday night that the total number of arrests since the protests began on Monday was 290.
Ch Supt Colin Wingrove said the police had acted because the “ongoing demonstrations are causing serious disruptions to public transport, local businesses and Londoners who wish to go about their daily business”.
The Met said the demonstrators should only gather at their camp at Marble Arch.
One protester on Waterloo Bridge, Daniel, 17, said people were not disheartened by the police action because the officers had failed to clear the road. “The way I interpret arrests is that they are the government trying to silence us and when they try, we shout louder,” he said. “The mood is ecstatic. It’s a street party.”
British police officers arrest an activist as they remove them from their blockade of Waterloo Bridge on the second day of an environmental protest by the Extinction Rebellion group, in London on April 16, 2019. - Environmental protesters from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group started a programme of demonstrations designed to block five of London's busiest and iconic locations to draw attention to what they see as the "Ecological and Climate Emergency" of climate change. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP)BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images
A protester is held by police on Waterloo Bridge © AFP
Viv Huskings, 53, from Cardiff, said he intended to protest for two weeks. “I’ve cancelled all my appointments and I’m camping at Marble Arch,” he said. “The whole purpose is to be arrested. I’m prepared for physical violence because there is no way to resist it but this is non-violent.”
Activists say the disruption to commuters is nothing compared with an impending climate and ecological catastrophe.
Extinction Rebellion is demanding the UK government slash greenhouse gas emissions to a net level of zero by 2025, and create a “citizens’ assembly” to develop policies to reach this goal.
The group is hoping to occupy the four London sites for as long as possible, potentially for up to two weeks or until the government agrees to talks.
Those arrested included five people detained at the headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell, the energy company, on suspicion of criminal damage after activists shattered the glass of a revolving door at the entrance to the building and daubed the walls with graffiti.
They were released on Tuesday under investigation but another prominent member of Extinction Rebellion, lawyer Farhana Yamin, was arrested after she glued both of her hands to the ground outside the Shell building.
Marble Arch projection by Extinction Rebellion 15th April 2019 from press office
The message 'Time is running out' is projected on to Marble Arch on Monday night
Shell said it respected the right of “everyone to express their point of view. We only ask that they do so with their safety and the safety of others in mind.”
Gail Bradbrook, one of the movement’s co-founders, said she was optimistic the protests would continue for at least another day. “Obviously the arrests are now happening. Already some are tired and we need to make sure we look after each other,” she said.
Mr Khan, the mayor, said he shared “the passion of all those protesting” and insisted he was “a staunch supporter of the right to peaceful protest”. But he added he was “extremely concerned” about the plans to disrupt the Underground.
A government spokesperson did not comment directly on the protest but said: “We share people’s passion to tackle this issue and protect our planet for future generations.”
They claimed the UK had cut greenhouse gas emissions by 44 per cent and added: “We’ve asked our independent climate experts for advice on a net zero emissions target.”
John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said he supported the action. “If it moves us all a step further in tackling climate change, it will be worth it,” he wrote on Twitter.
Protester John Betts, 69, who previously worked in child protection, said on Waterloo Bridge on Tuesday morning that he was willing to be arrested for the first time in his life due to his concerns for his grandchildren. “Nothing else is working,” he said. “We are desperate.”
William Skeaping, 39, who quit his job six months ago to work full time with Extinction Rebellion, said ministers should be held responsible for any disruption.
“The government haven’t paid attention to decades of petitions and marches so we feel compelled to act before it is too late,” he said.
Additional reporting by Laura Hughes
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