Eco mob attempt to bring London to a standstill…again: XR activists stage sit-in blocking two major bridges on second day of mayhem in capital
- Demonstrators with Extinction Rebellion have blocked both Lambeth and Vauxhall Bridges in London
- XR is holding two weeks of rebellion in the capital and promised to create even more roadblocks than ever
- On Saturday, XR activists gathered at Hyde Park before marching into the centre of the city’s West End
- Elsewhere, climate activists Just Stop Oil have dug a tunnel and locked themselves into three oil terminals
Extinction Rebellion activists have attempted to bring London to a standstill again by blocking two major bridges on the second day of mayhem in the capital.
The climate demonstrators are holding a sit-in protest on Lambeth and Vauxhall Bridges and have promised to bring more carnage to the capital.
The group – which has been blocking traffic in the heart of London’s shopping district – is holding two weeks of rebellion in London and has promised to create even more roadblocks than ever as protesters continue their calls for no new investment in fossil fuels.
On Saturday, the climate change activists gathered at Speakers’ Corner at Hyde Park before marching into the centre of the city’s West End.
Kicking off their demonstration in Hyde Park on Sunday morning, XR started blocking off major roads nearby, and promised its civil resistance and full disobedience would be felt across the city throughout the day as they moved to block the two bridges.
Video clips posted on social media showed activists moving out of the road to allow a fire engine to cross Lambeth Bridge.
The Met Police said in a statement: ‘There are multiple protests taking place across London today.
‘At the moment Lambeth and Vauxhall Bridges are currently closed due to a protest. We are working with our partners to reduce the disruption to Londoners.’
Elsewhere, climate activists Just Stop Oil have dug a tunnel and locked themselves onto three oil terminals, as the group continues its demands that the Government stops new oil and gas projects.
There have been 338 arrests since the Just Stop Oil protests began on April 1 and another 26 arrests are expected to be made today, Essex Police have said.
It comes after more than 20 protesters arrived at Exolum Storage in Grays on Sunday morning.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion blocking Lambeth Bridge in central London as they called for the government to ‘stop financing fossil fuels’
Activists from Extinction Rebellion blocking Lambeth Bridge in central London were seen moving out of the road to allow a fire engine to cross the bridge
Earlier today it was revealed that one in three petrol stations in the South are closed after the eco mobs blocked depots and locked themselves to pipework on the tenth day of mayhem.
Causing more havoc for motorists, Just Stop Oil blocked three oil terminals in Hertfordshire, Essex and Warwickshire today.
At the BP Kingsbury Terminal the group dug a tunnel where they holed up in an attempt to prevent themselves getting arrested by police.
Meanwhile, 80 activists have swarmed and locked themselves in at the Buncefield and Grays terminals.
There have been continued reports of dry petrol pumps in certain areas after the groups disrupted supplies with the majority of filling stations in Cambridgeshire either closed or had long queues on Sunday morning as people tried to fill up.
The mass protests have reportedly resulted in more than 800 arrests across the country and put a ‘real strain’ on local police services.
Essex Police said the days of ‘exceptionally dangerous’ fuel protests are putting activists and officers at ‘unacceptable’ risk of harm.
Activists from Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion have been blocking access to oil terminals in Essex, demanding that the Government stops new oil and gas projects.
There have been 338 arrests since the protests began on April 1 and another 26 arrests are about to be made.
And at 6:30am, the Grays Inter Terminal in Thurrock was swarmed by 40 people who climbed the loading bay pipework and locked themselves in (pictured)
Assistant Chief Constable Glen Pavelin said: ‘We cannot stand by while criminal acts are being committed, and lives are being put at risk, in the name of protest.
‘We are not anti-protest.
‘Our job is to preserve life and catch criminals, and that’s what we’re going to do.
‘Today’s protest is exceptionally dangerous due to where the protesters have located themselves within the site.
‘Our officers have been diligent in ensuring that all protesters know the risks involved, and we’ve been working hard to minimise the dangers this morning.
‘Put simply: we don’t want anyone to get hurt.’
The force has said that policing protests in Thurrock has cost Essex Police ‘in excess of £1 million’.
Mr Pavelin said the protesters’ ‘acts of criminality on site are not only illegal, but they are continuing to put themselves and our officers at real risk of harm and that is unacceptable’.
The impact of the protests is being felt by the people of Essex and beyond, he said.
The BP Petrol station in Ely, Cambridgeshire, which closed on Sunday morning after it ran out of fuel
This picture shows the queues at the Tesco Petrol station in Ely on Sunday morning
He added: ‘We’ve been lucky to have extra support from specialist officers from across the country, to support some of our officers continuing with their day jobs.’
The force is working with organisations including Thurrock Council, the East of England Ambulance Service, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service plus the local fuel companies to try over the protests while also having to deal with local crime.
Warwickshire Police said that a further 29 arrests have been made this weekend in connection with ongoing protests at Kingsbury Oil Terminal.
Those in custody have been arrested for offences including criminal damage, conspiracy to cause criminal damage and conspiracy to commit public nuisance in what Assistant Chief Constable Ben Smith described as ‘another busy weekend’ for the force.
This takes the total number of arrests to 180 since the protests began on April 1.
Kicking off their demonstration in Hyde Park, Extinction Rebellion has also started blocking off major roads nearby
Activists from Extinction Rebellion demonstrate at Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park, central London today
Why are Extinction Rebellion doing a road-blocking protest?
Extinction Rebellion billed today’s protest as part of ‘the final push in the plan to end fossil fuels’.
On their website, the group said: ‘Come to London from April 9 to April 17 and be ready to continue in civil resistance on at least the following three weekends.
‘This is a crucial moment. Our reliance on fossil fuels is funding wars, driving the cost of living scandal and leading to climate breakdown. This is why we are demanding an immediate end to all new fossil fuel investments.’
The group have said similar action to block ‘areas of the city for as long as possible’ is planned every day for a week or more.
They have pledged that ‘our disruption will not stop until the fossil fuel economy comes to an end, ‘ according to the Extinction Rebellion website.
On Friday, two protesters from the climate movement shut down Tower Bridge by abseiling off the sides of the London landmark and unfurling a huge banner that read: ‘End fossil fuels now.’
The bridge, a main traffic artery across the Thames, was closed to vehicles, causing long queues
Mr Smith, who said there would be a heightened police presence at the site over the coming days, added: ‘This weekend’s protest activity has been contained to the Piccadilly Way area and has caused little disruption to the wider community, or to the operations of the oil terminal.
‘While we will always recognise and respect the public’s right to peaceful protest, we will take action against anyone who breaks the law or causes significant impact on the local community.’
He thanked the public for their ongoing patience and said the force is working to minimise disruption to the local community and the road networks.
Overnight, Just Stop Oil supporters claim they dug a tunnel by concealing its efforts with a caravan under a key tanker route to the BP Kingsbury Terminal in Warwickshire.
Despite a number of police arrests, Just Oil claim, five people remain inside the caravan this morning working on the tunnel.
Reverend Tim Hughes, 71 a retired priest from Swindon, who is with the tunnellers, said: ‘I’m here because our government is useless, they make a lot of noise but they are doing nothing.
‘As a priest I have a duty of care for people, and also for creation.
‘What I’m doing here, with everyone in this caravan, is what our government should be doing – that is trying to protect our families and our loved ones from the appalling future that stands before us.
‘I hope we can continue what we’re doing and stop the flow of oil, if the government won’t.’
The BP station in Ely, Cambridgeshire was closed and the Tesco petrol station also in Ely had long queues before they finally ran out on Sunday morning.
Thousands of Extinction Rebellion protesters including an Olympic gold medallist staged a sit-down protest in Oxford Street and Regent Street, yesterday, blocking traffic in the heart of London’s shopping district to call for no new investment in fossil fuels.
The eco-protestors sat down across Oxford Circus and the famous high streets it connects, chanting ‘save our planet’ and ‘whose streets, our streets’.
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