Extinction Rebellion supporters took part in a mass sit down protest in London’s central shopping district.
As samba bands warmed, thousands of demonstrators with flags in multicolour bearing the groups extinction symbol gathered at Marble Arch on Saturday morning.
They then moved to Regent Street or Oxford Circus and sat down on the road, disrupting traffic in central London.
The Metropolitan police tweeted that a number protesters were blocking traffic on Oxford St & Regent St. Traffic divertions are being made.
Extinction Rebellion (also known as XR) promised that it would shut down the capital over the next week. New tactics were developed in response to increasing harsh policing, which limited protests last August.
Police vans and officers riding horses patrolled Hyde Park’s perimeter, but it was not apparent that they were there to enforce order. The march began at midday and the crowd marched through central London, setting up roadblocks along the way.
Direct actions were planned for the fringes, but XR kept silent on the details.
During the morning, protesters mostly hung out, chatting with affinity groups, greeting old friends, and enjoying some sunshine.
Nicky Goulianis (33) from London stood in the middle the crowd with her daughter Clio (9 months) in a buggy. She answered all the questions when she was asked why she was joining the protest.
Although I live in the UK, I have been following the movement from afar and find it inspiring. Goulianis said that he had seen echoes of the movement in New York while living in New York.
I believe we need to take drastic action. The oil and gas lobby does a good thing convincing us that individual consumption is the main concern, but we must change everything.
Marcelo Cervone, a 28-year-old man, was seen at the edges of the crowd with a small group. He had adorned the top of his baseball cap in XR stickers. He said, “I want my son’s future to be secure. He is only four months old. I want him to dream big, but I don’t think he can.”
Cervone stated that he had been protesting with XR since many years. We all hope we can end the fossil fuel economic system. He stated that the number one goal is to immediately transition out of the fossil fuel economic.
Aston University’s Dr Graeme Hayes studies social movements and was also present at Hyde Park. Since its inception in 2018, he has been following, researching and analysing XR.
This is not a new thing. Hayes stated that this is the same thing it looked three years ago, but with fewer people and its being confined into a smaller space.
The move from Parliament Square into Hyde Park is also a result of three years of interaction and inability to hold that public space.
Hayes stated that he felt ideological obstacles were preventing XR development. I have taken many photos of all the signs. Many are focused on children, or your children’s children, he said.
There is always an awareness of how justice is related to the future. There is a displacement in justice. There are many things about justice and it is about Africa. But that is not the point. I’m trying to find things about capitalism, but it’s hard to find.