‘This action is unfair and unreasonable’
POLICE CRITICISE EXTINCTION REBELLION PROTESTORS SAYING EXCESS DISRUPTION AFFECTS THE RIGHTS OF OTHERS
SCOTLAND Yard said 480 eco-activists have been arrested after blocking off Oxford Circus, shutting down Tower and London Bridge, and scaling a building in the City of London.
Pushing their urgent message in the fight against climate change, the demonstrators blocked traffic and frustrated police by committing acts like gluing themselves to the pavements and locking their bodies to scaffolding.
The protests required 2,000 Met officers-a-day, causing deputy assistant commissioner Matt Twist to express his anger towards the “very serious and totally unreasonable disruption”.
“They have the right to protest and assemble together, but this right must be balanced with the rights of others those wanting to go about their lawful business unimpeded and without disruption,” he said.
“Whatever the cause, activists do not have the right to cause unreasonable and serious disruption to London’s communities.
“In the past two weeks, we’ve seen activists overstep this. They’ve blocked traffic on two of London’s busiest bridges, defaced iconic landmarks and disrupted critical road junctions. Commuters’ journeys have been delayed, businesses had deliveries cancelled and the owners of landmarks have faced costly repairs.
“This action is unfair, unreasonable and unlawful. To worsen matters, activists frustrate our response by setting up complex structures or by glueing and locking onto devices.”
Other extreme actions the group took were smashing the windows and trashing the entrances of JP Morgan and Standard Chartered headquarters, as well as vandalising the London
Guildhall. DAC Twist said 133 people have locked on to structures or glued themselves, forcing officers into “painstaking and hugely complex” efforts to remove them.
“This work takes time and has demanded thousands of officers each day to respond effectively. These are officers taken elsewhere from London. The impact of XR’s protracted action on London communities should not be underestimated”, he added.
“Every time several officers are needed to arrest a single activist, these are officers diverted from our number one priority, bearing down on violence. We are highly resilient but it is frustrating that communities are denied their officers in order to deal with a very protracted protest.”
As well as the police force, he also believes many Londoners ‘are likely sick of this protracted disruption.’
Extinction Rebellion London justified its actions, writing on Twitter: “We will leave the streets when the Government starts treating the climate emergency like an emergency.
“Covid showed what the Government can do in a crisis, it’s the level of response required for the climate but sustained over years.”