Extinction Rebellion: Nearly 500 arrested during two weeks of action

Police have made 480 arrests in London during two weeks of protest by the climate activists Extinction Rebellion.

"Thousands of officers" a day had been required to police activists since the group began its action, dubbed the Impossible Rebellion, on 23 August, Scotland Yard said.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the force's teams had "worked tirelessly".

Extinction Rebellion said the protests had been "incredibly successful".

Over the last two weeks Extinction Rebellion and other connected groups have held multiple daily protests, including blocking Oxford Circus and erecting a giant table in Covent Garden.

The Met revealed that officers had removed 133 people locked on or glued to structures during that time.

Mr Twist said: "This work takes time and has demanded thousands of officers each day to respond effectively.

"These are officers taken elsewhere from London.

"Every time several officers are needed to arrest a single activist, these are officers diverted from our number one priority, bearing down on violence."

Police were accused of heavy-handed tactics after officers could be seen using batons and dragging protesters from the top of a bus near London Bridge on Tuesday.

An Extinction Rebellion spokesperson said: "This is our first mass protest since the pandemic and it's been a huge success.

"We would have stayed in Oxford Circus and London Bridge longer if the policing had been a little less aggressive."

They added: "With the government pushing through its draconian policing bill, and officers being trained in public order tactics ahead of COP 26, the last few weeks feels like a portent of much worse to come.

"This government's response, to silence its critics and stifle debate, should worry everyone who cares about our hard-fought democratic rights."

Defending the tactics, Mr Twist said: "What we saw at London Bridge and what we saw at other locations on Sunday was an attempt outside the Science Museum to set up complex structures with complex lock-on devices to cause serious disruption to the public of London.

"And that's when officers are moving in and acting more swiftly to make arrests and try to lawfully remove the protesters."

The demonstrations are planned to continue next week, when the activists are due to host a "march for nature".