Fury of the grey greens
Pensioners on frontline of ‘reckless’ eco mob march
EXTINCTION Rebellion fanatics brought more chaos to the capital on the second day of a mass protest yesterday.
After gathering at Parliament Square in the morning, thousands of demonstrators, many of them pensioners, marched on Whitehall at around 11am.
Police had previously been criticised for taking a hands-off approach at the start of the twoweek protest on Monday.
And as roads had to be closed to accommodate the rally yesterday, the disruptive climate change group appeared to have thwarted Scotland Yard once again.
Elderly eco warriors – many from the group’s Welsh chapter – targeted
‘A fortune of public money’
HM Revenue and Customs. Some lay across the road locking arms while others attached themselves to steel drums stored in a nearby hire van. Police said they had arrested 40 by 5.30pm yesterday, following 52 arrests on Monday.
Extinction Rebellion says the marches will focus on the City of London, highlighting the alleged role of major financial institutions in the climate crisis. Protesters carried a mannequin of Boris Johnson’s head on a stick, and dressed as Barclays Bank UK CEO Matt Hammerstein being served money on a silver tray.
The group said it had targeted the exchequer over its use of Barclays Bank – a major fossil fuel investor – for national insurance and tax processing. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said officers were being hindered by a June Supreme Court ruling that said blocking a road for protest could be lawful. He said: ‘It costs a fortune of public money, it stops the urban boroughs from being policed correctly. It’s absolutely reckless.
‘I get demonstration, it’s in our DNA, but do it sensibly in lawful areas so we don’t have to pour millions... of taxpayers money in.’