Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 03, 2025

Met 'stretched' by Extinction Rebellion protests

With 1,100 arrests so far during the week's climate protests, police say they has diverted resources.

Extinction Rebellion protests have "stretched" police resources in London, the Metropolitan Police chief has said.

Dame Cressida Dick said she hoped the demonstrators would "protest lawfully" or "go home" after their "failure to take and occupy" certain streets.

A week of climate protests, including at Trafalgar Square and the BBC's New Broadcasting House, have seen more than 1,100 people arrested.

The movement said many protesters will "risk their liberty" for their cause.

Police have asked activists who have been demonstrating close to the Houses of Parliament in Westminster to move their protests in Trafalgar Square or risk arrest.

They served a Section 14 notice - designed to prevent "serious disruption" to communities - before removing those who had camped out in Westminster.

Dame Cressida said that if demonstrators protested lawfully she could deploy "many" officers "back to the streets, back to the neighbourhoods, back to the schools, back to the wards of the people of London".

"We are responding to all serious matters and urgent matters of course, carrying on with our crime investigations in homicide or armed robbery," she said.

"But we're having to move work from one unit to another and the less urgent, less critical, less important work of course gets delayed."

Responding to Dame Cressida's comments, Extinction Rebellion said it is a "peaceful non-violent movement" and that many protesters are "prepared to risk their liberty to stand up for the planet".

It added that young people are already experiencing "eco-anxiety" - a feeling of being overwhelmed by the existential challenge of climate change - and the police chief's response "is only going to make the situation worse".

Extinction Rebellion activists are protesting in cities around the world, including Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam and Sydney, and are calling for urgent action on global climate and wildlife emergencies.

As part of their protests on Friday, activists gathered outside tents at Trafalgar Square and blocked the entrance to the BBC's central London headquarters.

Jon Fuller, who is part of Extinction Rebellion's media team, said that while the BBC is reporting more on tackling climate change than ever before, it does not report "the most frightening" news stories.

The BBC said it covers "many climate change and environmental issues", adding that programmes such as Blue Planet II and Climate Change: The Facts have a "huge impact" on public debate.

"We know how important these issues are to audiences and will continue to focus on them across both news and non-news programmes, whilst internally doing all we can to lead the way in promoting sustainability in the media industry," it said in a statement.

On Thursday, a Paralympic medallist climbed on top of a British Airways plane at London City Airport.

Another man refused to sit in his seat, delaying a flight by nearly two hours.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Taylor Swift Gains Ownership of Her First Six Albums
Bangkok Ranked World's Top City for Remote Work in 2025
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
×