At last! Police raid eco-vandals
Bid to disrupt new wave of Extinction Rebellion protests set to hit London tomorrow
POLICE raided eco- protest group Extinction Rebellion’s warehouse yesterday ahead of a planned two weeks of disruption involving more than 20,000 people.
Two police officers used a battering ram to break down the door of the former Lambeth County Court in South London after activists locked themselves inside.
Last night officers were seen taking crash barriers, scaffolding, solar panels and industrial batteries out of the warehouse. It is understood police were confiscating equipment which could be used to blockade roads and build protest sites during the demonstrations which begin tomorrow.
Thousands of campaigners are planning to blockade Lambeth and Westminster bridges and shut all roads going into Westminster.
They want to bring the area to a standstill for two weeks, and promise the protests will be five times larger than the campaign in April, which paralysed large swathes of the capital.
In a pre-emptive action, at least 14 police officers in three vans swooped on the warehouse. They arrested ten people on suspicion of conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. Just days ago, the Metropolitan Police’s Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave said: ‘I think what we learned from [the April protests] is that we need to be agile, we need to be probably slightly more proactive and more ready in anticipation of what we might expect.’
The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Extinction Rebellion (XR) is planning to ‘bring police resources to breaking point’ over the next two weeks.
They are telling anyone arrested during the protests to refuse bail in a bid to fill up all of London’s police cells. Police will then find it extremely difficult to arrest any more rebels during the fortnight of disruption because they will be forced to send them to cells outside London – draining them of vital resources. The group claims to have 4,442 people who are prepared to be arrested, while there are just 683 police cells in London across 27 custody suites, according to 2017 Metropolitan Police data.
A senior Scotland Yard officer warned that XR protesters were putting a bigger strain on police resources than the terrorist attacks of 2017.
Forces across England have been asked to contribute specialist ‘protest removal teams’ who are trained and equipped to deal with protesters.
Scotland Yard has sought new powers to t ackle t he demonstrations, including the ability to prohibit those people freed on bail from immediately returning to a protest to commit new offences, plus powers to stop campaigners bringing large items such as boats to halt traffic.
XR is also planning to converge on London City Airport, blockade Smithfield meat market, target transport routes into the City of London, and project images on to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
Activists have been told to buy ‘ burner’ SIM cards for their mobile phones so they cannot be traced.
They have been armed with detailed instructions on how to encrypt phones and laptops and hide all forms of communication from police. This includes replacing traditional messaging apps such as WhatsApp with others including Signal and Wire, with ‘the potential for increased anonymity’. XR has also advised its followers to equip themselves with ‘emotional wellbeing kits’ for their extended period camping outside – and suggests bringing an inspirational book and ‘a rescue remedy’ made from ‘essential oils along with a flannel, and body butter’.
XR members are urged to try out ‘ grounding exercises’ to prepare for the protest that include looking for five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can smell, two things you can hear and one you can taste.
Actress Juliet Stevenson and musician Jarvis Cocker are expected to be at the group’s ‘opening ceremony’ in Trafalgar Square tomorrow.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: ‘We have been preparing for this protest for several weeks now. The policing operation will be proportionate to balance the right to a peaceful protest, while ensuring that disruption to communities is kept to a minimum.’
XR said: ‘We believe it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, using peaceful civil disobedience, when faced with criminal inactivity by their Government. If the Government seriously acts on the emergency, there will be no disruption.’
‘They plan to fill up all police cells in London’