MANY people from west Wales made the journey to London over the past week to take part in the Extinction Rebellion climate change protests.
Some had set off weeks earlier to walk their way to London, distributing leaflets as they went.
A woman from Narberth was the last to be arrested at Oxford Circus, while another protester from Eglwyswrw was among those held the longest in custody. She had locked herself onto the pink boat that had become a symbol of the protests, and an angle grinder had to be used to remove her.
A woman who walked 140 miles from Ceredigion said: “We met so much warmth and support, I wondered, where were the opponents? Everyone seems to get it, it was like I was doing it for them.”
The Extinction Rebellion movement is demanding the UK Government acknowledge the planet’s ecological emergency, have 0% net CO2 emissions by 2025, reverse policies inconsistent with addressing climate change and create a Citizens’ Assembly to oversee the changes required. The group started its protest on April 15, stopping traffic at Oxford Circus, Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge and the area around Parliament Square.
The Metropolitan Police said that as of Monday (Apr 22), 1,065 arrests had been made and 53 people charged in relation to the protests. Organisers have described the protests as the biggest civil disobedience event in recent British history.
Late on Sunday, police had moved the last of the protesters from Waterloo Bridge after activists at Parliament Square and Oxford Street had been moved on earlier in the day. Another protest was held at the Natural History Museum, as activists lay down underneath the blue whale skeleton to raise awareness of the mass extinction of species.
Extinction Rebellion is holding a public meeting to decide its next course of action.
