London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 23, 2025

COP26: Greta Thunberg mobbed as activists gather in Glasgow

COP26: Greta Thunberg mobbed as activists gather in Glasgow

Thousands of activists arrived in Scotland's largest city to make their climate change concerns known.

They included Greta Thunberg who was mobbed as she arrived by train in Glasgow.

The Swedish activist was surrounded by police, media and activists at the city's Central Station.

Earlier, faith groups making pilgrimages to Glasgow converged in the city as protests build ahead of COP26 which starts on Sunday.

Many had walked thousands of miles to join in a procession through the city centre.

The event was an "opening ceremony" to a series of non-violent protests planned in Glasgow, and around the world, during the United Nations convention.

Ms Thunberg travelled by train from London Euston, carrying a cardboard placard saying Fridays for Future, the name of the youth movement inspired by her school strikes in 2018.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg was mobbed as she arrived in Glasgow

Hundreds of people from Extinction Rebellion (XR) Faith and pilgrimage groups converged at the McLennan Arch on Glasgow Green, where XR Scotland's "Blue Rebels" formed a guard of honour for them.

The bells at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow led a UK-wide toll from 18:00, offering a traditional warning to humanity to "pay heed to the climate crisis".

Those arriving in the city include Marcha Glasgow, a group of Spanish activists who took a ferry from Bilbao to Portsmouth to embark on a 30-day hike to Glasgow.

Camino to COP26 members have walked from London and Bristol to Glasgow in just under two months.



Young Christian Climate Network activists arrived in the city on Saturday after walking 1,200 miles from Cornwall.

Ecumenical Pilgrimage for Climate Justice arrived in Glasgow from Poland, Sweden and Germany and Pilgrimage for COP26 has walked from Dunbar to Glasgow.

Glasgow-based artists Zoe Walker and Neil Bromwich paraded the Serpent of Capitalism, a 30m (100ft) sculptural artwork alongside the pilgrimage groups.

'Spiritual duty of care'


Alex Cochrane, of XR Glasgow, said: "COP26 must end a growing crime against humanity by wealthy governments where the global south are sacrificed to bear the brunt of the global north's affluent, carbon-intensive lifestyles.

"We welcome the pilgrims of faith - and no faith - who are walking to COP26 to demand governments also walk the walk for the global south."



Yaz Ashmawi, of XR Pilgrim, said: "Countries around the world are already suffering the consequences of our historic emissions in the west, and small island states like the Maldives will be submerged by rising seas if no immediate action is taken on the climate.

"As people of faith we have a spiritual duty of care to those who are less fortunate than us, so we have been using this walk to raise money for activists in financially disadvantaged countries that are already impacted, to empower them to join this conversation themselves."


A group of indigenous leaders from North and South America were welcomed to Glasgow by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

She said that although Scotland did not have a place at the negotiating table, the Scottish government would help Minga Indigena get their message heard.

"As representatives of indigenous peoples and the Global South, they have an important message to convey on behalf of those least responsible for the global climate emergency, who are often first and most severely affected by its consequences," Ms Sturgeon said.

Calfin Lafkenche, Mapuche leader from Patagonia, Chile, Minga Indígena said: "We are the guardians of 70% of the world's biodiversity. It is everyone's task to reach an understanding and move to a new paradigm where all humanity protect nature.

"We need to face the greatest challenge in history together."

The group have so far been unable to bring all their representatives to Glasgow because of a shortage of accommodation in the city. Several members have been given accommodation by local people but organisers still hope to get access to a large property where more of them can stay together.


Ocean Rebellion arrived early to stage its "visual performances" ahead of the summit

Over the next two weeks about 30,000 people are expected to attend the climate conference.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, Scotland's most senior police officer, previously said his force would respond "swiftly and robustly" to protesters who tried to disrupt the event.

He said the force - together with 7,000 officers from other parts of the UK who have been deployed to Scotland to help police COP26 - was "ready for the challenges that lie ahead".

Dramatic protests from other groups have already begun in other parts of the city.

Sing The Change brought choirs together in George Square to sing an arrangement of Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World.

Four XR protesters locked themselves to the Memorial Gates at the University of Glasgow on Friday to demand that the establishment adopt the Green New Deal - a climate strategy developed by students and staff at the university.

Protestors want to raise awareness about trawling the ocean bed releasing carbon into the atmosphere

Ocean Rebellion activists poured "oil" in front of Glasgow's Cop26 venue in protest ahead of the event.

Andrew Darnton, an Ocean Rebellion activist and climate change researcher, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme his group had arrived in Glasgow early to get media coverage before the summit began, and had been warmly welcomed by the people of Glasgow.

They use "striking visual performances", such as setting fire to their boats or pools of dead mermaids, to convey their message about blue carbon - how the seas store carbon.

"We are bringing people news about the state of the seas and the degradation of the oceans and pointing out how important that is in relation to getting any kind of meaningful progress on cutting carbon," Mr Darnton said. "You can't do that without the seas."

He added: "We'd like people simply to understand that you won't fix the climate crisis without attending to the ocean.

"Bottom trawling of the ocean, stirring up the ocean bed, produces more carbon in a year that the whole of aviation, the whole of flying, because the seas lock up so much carbon for us. They provide most of our breathable oxygen."


Rail companies worked together to bring young people, politicians and representatives from non-governmental organisations from Europe to Glasgow.

Debates on sustainable travel were held during the journey to London. Passengers then travelled to Glasgow on a Pendolino clad with a new design to celebrate the Climate Train journey.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
×