Protesters take climate message to bbC centre
EXTINCTION Rebellion activists staged a protest outside BBC Wales, demanding them to ‘Tell the Truth,’ last night.
The protest, which was held outside BBC Wales new and unoccupied building in Cardiff, was in response to the broadcaster’s lack of coverage of the climate crisis, said protesters.
A spokeswoman for Extinction Rebellion said the group were calling on the BBC’s “crucial moral duty to tell the truth on the climate and ecological emergency”.
Around 30 people gathered outside BBC Wales’ new HQ in Central Square yesterday evening, holding placards and singing: “There is no planet B.”
In response to the protests, a BBC Cymru Wales spokeswoman said: “BBC Wales already covers many climate change and environmental issues across its news output, with a specialist environment correspondent and regular features on TV, radio and online.”
There were five police officers in front of the entrance to the building which is opposite Cardiff Central train station.
The group said the turn out was smaller than the last time they held protests in Cardiff as “all the Welsh rebels who were able to go to London are there.”
One protester, Alice, who did not wish to give her surname, said they had no intention of trying to enter the building, like their London counterparts.
Extinction Rebellion in London has held a week long protest in the city, boasting on its social media page that 1,000 members have been arrested.
Yesterday, activists set up a barricade outside BBC’s New Broadcasting House in London and some even scaled the front of the building.
BBC staff members in London reported being unable to get in to New Broadcasting House as dozens of protesters camped outside the main entrance.
No arrests were made at the protest in Cardiff as no disruption was caused.
Alice added: “The BBC is a public service and at the moment we are paying for it to be a disservice to us, they are not telling the truth.”
Oscar Griffin, a 16-year-old activist who regularly participates in the School Strikes for Climate, said the group want the BBC to cover the climate crisis and their protests.
“It is not an opinion at this point, its facts,” he added.
In response to the criticism from Extinction Rebellion, the BBC said: “Across the BBC, programmes like Blue Planet II and Climate Change: The Facts, have had a huge impact on the public debate both in this country and around the world.
“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.”
One of the protesters said that this was the first of three protests planned for Cardiff over the next week.
The second protest will be held next Wednesday, outside the decarbonisation conference, where someone from Extinction Rebellion will be giving a talk.
Another protest will be held next Saturday, where they plan to hold a mass cycle event, ending with a people’s assembly.