Extinction Rebellion latest: More than 570 arrests as police tear into climate change protesters for ‘diverting officers away from keeping London safe’

Olivia Tobin19 April 2019
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There have been more than 570 arrests linked to the Extinction Rebellion protests across London, Scotland Yard said.

The figures came as police on Friday tore into demonstrators for causing “serious disruption” to Londoners and taking officers away from "their core local duties that help keep London safe”.

Demonstrations around London organised by the campaign group Extinction Rebellion (XR) have blocked routes around Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Parliament Square and Waterloo Bridge since Monday.

Police said activists are using tactics of lying on the ground when approached
EPA

In a stern statement on Friday, the Metropolitan Police said the disruption was “beyond unacceptable” and warned that officers are having to work 12-hour days and cancel their Easter leave to police the events.

Officers in Oxford Circus on Thursday
AP

The statement read: “The serious disruption the Extinction Rebellion demonstrations are causing to people in central London and beyond is unacceptable and we completely understand the concern it is causing to those who are disrupted by it.

“Throughout the course of today, will have had more than 1,000 officers on the streets policing the demonstrations.

Climate change activists hold a banner as they attend an Extinction Rebellion youth protest outside Heathrow Airport
REUTERS

“This is putting a strain on the Met and we have now asked officers on the boroughs to work 12-hour shifts; we have cancelled rest days and our Violent Crime Task Force (VCTF) have had their leave cancelled.

“This allows us to free up significant numbers of officers whilst responding to local policing.

“We would also like to reassure people that we have ring-fenced the VCTF so we retain the capacity to deal with any unrelated violent incidents.

Extinction Rebellion protest 2019 - In pictures

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“However, the protesters need to understand that their demonstration is meaning officers are being diverted away from their core local duties that help keep London safe and that this will have implications in the weeks and months beyond this protest as officers take back leave and the cost of overtime.”

The Met also explained why policing the demonstrations requires so many officers.

More than 1,000 officers have been deployed
EPA

The statement added: “The protesters are using tactics that see them lying on the ground when approached by police.

“This means that it takes at least four officers to remove one person from a site to ensure their safety which is obviously resource intensive. Those arrested are then taken into custody which again means our officers are off the streets temporarily while that process takes place.

“We have been asked why we are not using tactics such as containment - physically and forcibly stopping the protesters from moving around. The simple answer is we have no legal basis to do so. These are peaceful protesters; while disruptive their actions are not violent towards police, themselves or other members of the public.”

Other forces have been asked for “mutual aid” to assist officers in policing Heathrow Airport, after the group threatened to arrive at the hub yesterday.

A group of about 20 youths were pictured at the airport early Friday morning, with a large police presence.

Speaking about the airport threat, the Met said: “The airport is part of our national infrastructure and we will not allow the illegal activities of protesters to cause further disruption and misery to thousands of travellers, many of them families, over Easter.

“We would urge any protester planning to attend Heathrow to strongly reconsider.”

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