London climate protesters glue themselves to train as 300 arrested

The protest, led by activist group Extinction Rebellion, entered its third day.

April 17, 2019, 12:32 PM

LONDON -- Over 300 climate change activists have been arrested during three days of demonstrations in London.

Protesters have been attempting to disrupt transportation in the city, including gluing themselves to trains and blocking off a major intersection at Waterloo Bridge.

PHOTO: Police speak with protesters from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group who glued themselves to the top of a train at Canary Wharf station in London, April 17, 2019.
Police speak with protesters from the Extinction Rebellion campaign group who glued themselves to the top of a train at Canary Wharf station in London, April 17, 2019.
Neil Hall/EPA via Shutterstock

The action is being led by the radical Extinction Rebellion group with the aim of moving governments worldwide to "take decisive action on the climate and ecological emergency."

On Monday, police imposed a 24-hour "condition" on Waterloo Bridge and Oxford Circus, two of London's busiest locations, to prevent protesters from gathering, but videos published on the Extinction Rebellion Twitter page show protests are still going strong.

PHOTO: A police officer passes protester's tents and the Extinction Rebellion boat in the center of Oxford Circus on April 17, 2019 in London.
A police officer passes protester's tents and the Extinction Rebellion boat in the center of Oxford Circus on April 17, 2019 in London.
Leon Neal/Getty Images

The videos show activists singing and dancing, as well as some being dragged away and arrested by police.

Meanwhile, one activist glued himself to a train window in Canary Wharf, one of London's busiest financial centers, and two activists glued themselves to the top of the train unfurling a banner that read "Climate Emergency."

Two men and one woman were arrested "on suspicion of obstructing the railway" after specialist teams "trained in protest removal" arrived on the scene, British Transport Police said in a statement.

And the protests could continue for the foreseeable future, according to Extinction Rebellion activist Roger Hallam, who said they were protesting to "inform the British people that they will die if we do not stop the government from putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere."

PHOTO: Members of the 'Red Brigade' march in disobedience on the street from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus in London, April 17, 2019.
Members of the 'Red Brigade' march in disobedience on the street from Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus in London, April 17, 2019.
Frank Augstein/AP

"We are in ongoing rebellion against the government," he told ABC News. "It will end when we get the demands met. This particular mobilization will continue for one to two weeks depending on whether many people join in mass civil disobedience."

PHOTO: Climate change activists gather at Oxford Circus during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, April 17, 2019.
Climate change activists gather at Oxford Circus during the Extinction Rebellion protest in London, April 17, 2019.
Hannah Mckay/Reuters

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said Tuesday while he shared the protesters' "passion" for the need to tackle climate change, he was "extremely concerned" by the disruption to London's public transport.

"It's one of the biggest challenges we face -- and Governments around the world are failing to take the action we need," he said in a statement. "However … targeting public transport in this way would only damage the cause of all of us who want to tackle climate change, as well as risking Londoners' safety, and I'd implore anyone considering doing so to think again."

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