Over 100 people arrested in Extinction Rebellion protests in London

Climate change protests by Extinction Rebellion demonstrators in central London resulted in over 100 arrests.

Disruptions continued for a second day on Tuesday as protesters joined the thousands of people who blocked Waterloo Bridge, Marble Arch, Parliament Square and Oxford Circus during the day before.

Arrests began after nightfall as the police were attempting to clear Waterloo Bridge.

The protests were part of a global campaign organised by the British climate group Extinction Rebellion demanding urgent action against climate change and global warming.

They urged the UK government to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025 and establish a citizens’ assembly to devise an emergency plan to combat the negative effects on the environment that will come from climate change.

Demonstrations were planned in 80 cities across 33 countries in the coming days.

Roger Hallam, one of the movement’s leaders, said on Monday: “What’s amazing about this is for 30 years you have just had that closing up of public space: ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do that, you’ve got to finish then.”

“Suddenly, what Extinction Rebellion has done is actually say: ‘We are doing this.’ And the state is so weak through austerity that they can’t stop us.”

The group sent a letter to Theresa May recently that read: “Make no mistake, people are already dying,” the letter said. “In the majority world, indigenous communities are now on the brink of extinction. This crisis is only going to get worse […] prime minister, you cannot ignore this crisis any longer. We must act now.”

Organisers were hoping that the protests would last several days.