Climate change protesters have glued themselves to buildings and locked themselves to cars during a second day of demonstrations in London.
Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion (XR) protesters camped out in central London overnight and have now been ordered to move on or face arrest.
Police have told those who slept in Horseferry Road to move to Trafalgar Square as they hope to avoid serious levels of disruption in Westminster for a second day.
But demonstrators have glued themselves to the Department for Transport building, a tactic used during similar protests earlier this year and deployed byclimate changeactivists Worldwide.
The Metropolitan Police said they arrested319 people yesterday, far more than the 122 arrests made on the first day of protests in April.
Boris Johnson has called the protesters “uncooperative crusties” and said they should abandon their “help-smelling bivouacs”.
Despite being told to move on, many of the 200 or so protesters who camped out in Westminster have indicated they are willing to stay there longer.
Mike Gumn, 33, from Bristol, an NHS manager, said: “I have a job , I have taken annual leave to be here.
“I’d rather be with my family.
” I want to make a statement that (the activists) are all different sorts of people from all different walks of life, not just people you would call hippies. “
He added: “We will decide as a group when we are going to move, and we are not going to let police tell us when.
” I would not like to get arrested , but if that happens when I am exercising my right to protest and deliver a good life for my children, then I will take it on the chin. “
One activist, called Rob, was locked to the top of a trailer parked in Trafalgar Square for 24 hours.
He said: “It’s a story to tell my grandchildren.
” It’s to show in a completely non-violent way that we’re willing to disrupt what we call order now and business as usual. To highlight what needs to be done.
“We won’t tolerate business as usual. We mean no harm to anyone we know we’re inconveniencing.”
The 28 – year-old had both legs bike-locked to the roof and one hand glued on, and said he did not know when he would come down.
The protesters are calling on the government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, to act immediately to halt wildlife loss, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2025.
They also want the government create a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice.
Activist Glenn Drake, 65, brandished a sign reading: “Boris, sort climate change first, (then ) *** (Mr) Dra Dra, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, said: “I voted for Brexit, mainly because I don’t want to be part of a federal Europe.”
“But because of the urgency of climate change, we need to put aside Brexit.
” No one can agree on it, the country is 50 / 50 split, so let’s put that aside and let’s concentrate on the main issue, and that’s climate change. “
Protests across the UK are planned to continue for two weeks and are part of Extinction Rebellion demonstrations around the world.
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