London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

More than 600 arrests made at Extinction Rebellion protests in London

Climate campaigners stage a range of public events over five days despite Covid restrictions
More than 600 people have been arrested during five days of climate crisis protests in central London, police have said.

Environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion (XR) reignited its efforts to highlight the dangers of climate crisis this month after they were largely placed on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a series of daily actions, protesters have marched on Parliament Square, blocked roads, staged sit-ins and glued themselves to the ground.

The protests led the Metropolitan police to impose conditions on where demonstrations could take place, while protesters were warned they risked a large fine if they failed to comply with coronavirus rules banning gatherings of more than 30 people.

Scotland Yard also said on Saturday that 20 people had been reported for consideration of a £10,000 fixed penalty notice (FPN) for holding regulation-breaching gatherings representing a range of different causes.

Police said the FPN reports related to demonstrations called Resist the Government, Move One Million, The Ivory Coast Protest, Citizens’ Assembly Extinction Rebellion and The Lightship Greta procession.

One penalty report related to an anti-government demonstration that took place in Trafalgar Square on 30 August, the Met said.

Kyle Gordon, gold commander for the weekend’s policing operation, said protests had caused “serious disruption to local communities” in the past week.

He added: “Throughout this period we have become increasingly concerned the organisers of these events have not always taken all reasonable measures to limit the risk of transmission of coronavirus, thereby posing a risk, not only to those involved, but the wider public and communities of London.

“We remain in the middle of a pandemic and we all need to play our part in keeping each other and our communities safe.”

He said officers sought to enforce coronavirus legislation “as a last resort” and had proactively told event organisers of their “public health risk”.

Gordon added: “I would appeal to anyone planning on organising a gathering to consider your responsibilities under the regulations, and to do all you can to help keep our communities safe.”

On Saturday afternoon, an XR Citizens Assemble! gathering was dispersed by police in Trafalgar Square. During the peaceful protest outside the National Gallery, activists sat on the ground and listened to speeches while surrounded by a large police presence.

Officers asked the group to move on, with most dispersing by around 2.30pm. Some that refused to leave the area were carried or led away by police, including one man in handcuffs.

Darcy Mitchell, 45, from Bristol, told the PA news agency: “I’m here because scientists tell us that my children are going to see between three and five degrees of global warming in their lifetime.”

He warned this could lead to mass starvation, while young people were seeing the world “burning their future”.

A 68-year-old protester, who gave her name only as Wendy, said she was concerned that “the planet is dying and we’re helping it to die”.

She said police had been courteous, but she was prepared to be arrested.

A 32-year-old protester, who asked to be identified as just Jason, claimed the government was completely ignoring climate crisis.

“It’s not something that can wait any more. This whole thing is people power,” he said. “I’m willing to be arrested, I’m willing to stand up for my rights and stand up for what I believe in.”

Jason said 99% of protesters were wearing masks and trying to physically distance.

A five-a-side football match was also staged underneath nearby Nelson’s Column to highlight criticism of Barclays.

Protesters claimed the bank, a partner and former title sponsor of the Premier League, is the “largest funder of fossil fuels in Europe”.

Meanwhile, police said they had seized the Lightship Greta, a 20ft model boat named after teenage activist Greta Thunberg, in Kennington, south London.

The boat, bearing the words “Sound the alarm – Climate Emergency”, had been marched on foot from Brighton.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×