London’s Metropolitan Police have arrested nearly 1,500 people as of Tuesday morning after climate activists defied bans on demonstrating in the UK capital, the law enforcement body said.
The Met Police set a 9:00 p.m. (20:00 GMT) Monday deadline for protesters to leave central squares and end traffic disruptions. Shortly afterward, police began the process of clearing central London of protesters. “As of 0845 hours on Tuesday, 15 October, there have been 1457 arrests in connection with the ongoing Extinction Rebellion protests across London,” the Met Police said in a statement.
Gail Bradbrook, one of the founders of Extinction Rebellion, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon for demonstrating outside the Ministry of Transport. Photos published on the groups’ social media accounts show the woman standing atop a revolving doors cylinder of the main entrance to the ministry.
Last week, one climate activist, identified by Sky News as blind UK Paralympian James Brown, climbed an airplane at London City Airport as a sign of protest.
The grassroots movement has intensified its actions over the past weeks by blocking roads and bridges and holding even more radical demonstrations outside institutions they blame for contributing to the climate crisis. The group demands radical climate action, including the UK government committing to its set target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, which, according to the activists, the government is falling short of. (UNI)
