Environmental activists vow to disrupt London underground
LONDON: Environmental activists vowed to disrupt London underground train services in a third day of action Wednesday in a bid to force the British government to take more radical measures to avert what they cast as an imminent global climate cataclysm.
Climate group Extinction Rebellion has ratcheted up its protests in recent weeks, blocking Marble Arch, Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge, smashing a door at the Shell building and shocking lawmakers with a semi-nude protest in parliament.
A total of 290 people were arrested on Monday and Tuesday after the activists blocked some of the capital’s most iconic locations, many camping in tents on London’s streets.
The group advocates nonviolent civil disobedience to force governments to reduce carbon emissions and avert what it says is a global climate crisis that will bring starvation, floods, wildfires and social collapse.
“XR will non-violently disrupt tube services to highlight the emergency of ecological collapse,” the group said on its website.
“As with a labour strike, economic disruption is key in forcing the government to come to the table and negotiate our demands.”
It was unclear how the group would disrupt the London underground network, known as the Tube, which handles up to 5 million passenger journeys a day. Mayor Sadiq Khan urged protesters to avoid targetting the city’s public transit system.
“It is absolutely crucial to get more people using public transport, as well as walking and cycling, if we are to tackle this climate emergency,” Khan said.
Police said they expected the demonstrations to continue in the next few weeks and promised to take action if necessary. — Reuters