London climate protesters to halt action amid widespread arrests
A major environment group that has led noisy climate protests in the British capital for the past week says it will pause the action to allow the government to review its demands for better environment protection policy, a decision that follows widespread arrests of demonstrators.
The Extinction Rebellion said on Sunday that the pause, which will last for at least one week, is meant to show that the demonstrations that have brought parts of central London to a standstill could be disciplined and brought under control when it was needed.
“Today marks a transition from week one, which focused on actions that were vision-holding but also caused mass disruption across many dimensions,” said Farhana Yamin, a member of the Extinction Rebellion, adding that the second week of the civil action will focus on political demands and whether they could be realized in talks with the government.
The announcement came as police in London said the number of people arrested since the start of the climate protests on Monday had reached a total of 831 with some 42 activists formally charged.
That comes as security forces from other areas in southern England have rushed to London to help police control the situation.
The protests have hugely impacted normal life in major areas of central London including in Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and Parliament Square while the people have had serious difficulty using the city’s vast transport system due to disruptions created by the protesters.
In addition to their calls on the government for more serious policies on environment protection, the protesters have a specific demand which is for the government and parliament to adopt legislation that could cut UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025.
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