Use the full force of law on protests, London police told
Sajid Javid demanded that police crack down on climate change activists yesterday as Scotland Yard was criticised for failing to stop the protests that have left parts of London paralysed.
The home secretary urged the police to use the ‘‘full force of the law’’ after footage emerged of two officers dancing to music at an illegal roadblock at Oxford Circus and of another using a skateboard on Waterloo Bridge.
Activists, who are plotting to escalate their activities today by targeting Heathrow airport on one of the busiest days of the year, have bragged that police do not have the resources to stop them, saying: ‘‘The hollowed-out British state is overwhelmed.’’
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, a former Metropolitan Police commissioner, also criticised the handling of the protests, warning that violent crime was likely to increase over Easter weekend. During the first two days of protests the Extinction Rebellion action affected 500,000 commuters, and retailers in the West End lost £12 million (NZ$23m) because of a drop in the number of shoppers, their trade body said.
The protests have led to 480 arrests since Tuesday but activists have been returning to the fray immediately after release. The Met has said that it was powerless to stop them.
Extra officers were drafted in from beyond London, with rest and leave cancelled, as new flash mobstyle protests began popping up across the capital, shutting down roads and bridges for 10 minutes at a time.
Javid said that he had spoken to Cressida Dick, the Met commissioner, and had made clear that officers should ‘‘take a firm stance and use the full force of the law’’.
He said: ‘‘They have my full backing in doing so. Let me be clear – I totally condemn any protesters who are stepping outside the boundaries of the law. They have no right to cause misery for the millions of people who are trying to lead their daily lives. Unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated.’’
Despite the hundreds of arrests, lawyers for the protesters believe that fewer than 10 per cent of those arrested had been charged.
A spokesman for Bindmans solicitors, who have been advising some of the protesters, gave a withering appraisal of the Met’s response, saying: ‘‘The police give the appearance of being uncoordinated, inconsistent and disproportionate.’’
Extinction Rebellion organisers have stated their intention to keep up their action for a fortnight, and the Met yesterday admitted that none of the protesters had been subjected to bail restrictions stopping them returning to the roadblocks after arrest.
The Times spoke to an organiser of the group who was back out despite having been arrested twice this week.
Yanai Postelnik, 54, was on the bridge where a skatepark, stage, yoga area and garden have been established.
Marble Arch, Parliament Square and Oxford Circus have also been occupied by protesters since Tuesday.
They want the government to ‘‘tell the truth’’ about climate change, enact legislation to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, and set up a citizens’ assembly to ensure the action is taken.
In a statement on social media, which was later deleted, the group said: ‘‘Police struggle to arrest 350 and there are ten times that number prepared to be arrested. The hollowed-out British state is overwhelmed.’’
The Met said at least 1000 officers had been on the streets. – The Times