After per week of protests which introduced a lot of central London visitors to a standstill in October 2019, the Metropolitan Police, egged on by Tory politicians, introduced a ban on any Extinction Rise up protests wherever in Larger London below Part 14 of the Public Order Act 1986. This draconian measure throughout the entire of London meant that any two or extra folks coming collectively wherever throughout London to protest over the local weather disaster would type an unlawful meeting and can be topic to arrest.
XR continued to protest and in addition started authorized motion difficult the ban which was later dominated unlawful; the police in all probability knew that this was the case, but in addition knew they may put it into impact and use it till the court docket got here to its determination in a cynical however quite typical misuse of their powers.
XR did proceed their deliberate ‘No Meals No Future’ protest on Tuesday fifteenth, instantly after the unlawful ban was introduced, and there have been a couple of arrests, and the police started clearing the XR camp at Vauxhall. At brief discover the Inexperienced Celebration organised a protest in Trafalgar Sq. towards the ban the place audio system included Labour MP David Drew, Inexperienced Celebration co-leader Sian Berry, peace activist Angie Zelter and Extinction Rise up’s Rupert Learn in addition to three British Inexperienced MEPs and an Irish and German MEP.
A few hundred XR protesters additionally got here to the sq. and took half on this protest, clearly in breach of the Part 14 Order, however whereas police watched and photographed the occasion they made no arrests. However XR’s large emergency protest towards the ban got here following day,
XR defies protest ban – Trafalgar Sq., Wednesday sixteenth Oct 2019
Police got here and warned a few of these sitting within the sq. earlier than the beginning of the occasion that they had been committing an offence and may be arrested, however I noticed no precise arrests, although police did come and take away a tent from one man as carrying tenting gear is banned in Trafalgar Sq. and Parliament Sq. below legal guidelines made towards Brian Haw’s protest and the Occupy Motion.
There have been speeches, speeches and extra speeches to a crowded viewers in Trafalgar Sq., with audio system together with XR members, outstanding environmentalists, politicians and a former police Chief Superintendent and Inexperienced Celebration MEP Ellie Chowns who had been arrested defending the suitable to peaceable public protest in Trafalgar Sq. the day prior to this.
The XR ‘Pink Brigade’ made a spectacular entrance in the course of the speeches, making their approach slowly up by means of the gang to face on the high of the steps the place they remained for a while responding to the event.
In his speech George Monbiot expressed his resolve to get arrested when the protest and XR Normal Assembly which was to observe it ended. He invited others to affix him then and stroll into the street in Whitehall and sit down.
Monbiot carried out this intention and was arrested by police together with various others together with the Inexperienced Celebration Mayor of Woodbridge Eamonn O’Nolan who had worn his Mayoral robes for the occasion.
Extra on My London Diary at XR defies protest ban
XR calls for Murdoch inform the reality – London Bridge Wednesday sixteenth Oct 2019
The identical night Extinction Rise up continued with their deliberate vigil at Rupert Murdoch’s Information Corp HQ at London Bridge demanding that his papers inform the reality in regards to the local weather disaster.
A lot to their shock this XR protest turned out to be authorized because the blanket ban imposed by the Metropolitan Police on protests by XR throughout London solely applies to public locations and to not the non-public space right here in entrance of the workplaces.
They got here to protest right here because the Murdoch press has a very unhealthy file of local weather denial and the assist usually of fossil gasoline pursuits.
Audio system referred to as on the press to finish its assist of fossil gasoline extraction, local weather deniers and pointless consumerism and as an alternative actively promote life-style adjustments to fight the local weather emergency.
Extra at XR calls for Murdoch inform the reality.
Tags: arrest, ban on protest, local weather change, local weather disaster, local weather denial, local weather deniers, cynical ban, Extinction Rise up, fossil gasoline extraction, fossil fuels, George Monbiot, Inexperienced Celebration, Inexperienced Celebration Mayor, unlawful ban, London, misuse of powers, Murdoch, Information Worldwide, peter Marshall, police, protest, Public Order Act 1986, purple brigade, purple rebels, proper to protest, Rupert Murdoch, Rupert Learn, Part 14, Sian Berry, pointless consumerism, waste, XR
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