Eco activists glue themselves around Speaker's chair in series of protests across Parliament
2 September 2022, 12:21 | Updated: 2 September 2022, 20:10
Extinction Rebellion protest in House of Commons chamber
Extinction Rebellion glued themselves around the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons on Friday as part of a series of demonstrations across the Palace of Westminster.
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Three activists were pictured by the eco group holding hands around the chair, flanked by other demonstrators.
One held a sign saying "Let the people decide" while another held one that said "Citizens Assembly now".
Other protests were staged across the Palace of Westminster, with around 50 people in total taking part.
Extinction Rebellion said the protests were about climate inaction as well as making sure politics "really represents ordinary people" with citizens' assemblies.
The Metropolitan Police said eight people were arrested at the demonstrations, with no damage to the Speaker's chair.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said an investigation into the Extinction Rebellion protest has been launched by the police and parliamentary security.
He said: "The incident on the parliamentary estate has now been resolved. Arrests have been made and there are no longer any protesters on the estate.
"I would like to thank our parliamentary security and police colleagues who acted quickly and professionally to address the disruption.
"It is a real shame that those visitors who made arrangements to join tours of the Palace of Westminster today had their visit disrupted and cancelled.
"Despite the disruption, democratic tours will take place tomorrow.
"A joint investigation into the incident will take place between police and parliamentary security, and I will be providing a further update to the House of Commons at the start of business on Monday."
Activists reading speeches and holding banners locked themselves to railings outside, sat in the entrances and climbed scaffolding outside Westminster Hall.
The group said on its Twitter account: "Extinction Rebellion supporters have superglued around the Speakers Chair inside the commons chamber.
"Right now inside Parliament a speech is being read out demanding a Citizens' Assembly Now: "We are in crisis. We can not afford to carry on like this..."
The Metropolitan Police said earlier: "The Met is aware of a demonstration by a number protesters at the Palace of Westminster.
"Met police and Parliamentary staff are responding."
A House of Commons spokesman said: "We are aware of an incident on the parliamentary estate and are currently dealing with the situation as a matter of urgency."
XR protester Joe Short, from Bristol, used a bicycle lock to chain himself by the neck to the New Palace Yard entrance gates to the Palace of Westminster.
He said it was "part of a bigger protest" which was about both climate inaction and the democratic processes.
"It is part of a bigger protest which is about climate inaction but it is also about a citizens' assembly which is an alternative form of democracy which could be much more effective at dealing with problems like climate change," he said.
Read more: Truss hits back at 'militant activists' after eco mob crash hustings
Asked if he was uncomfortable chained to the railings and surrounded by police officers, Mr Short said: "At the end of the day, in the scheme of things it is not such an uncomfortable position."
Another man could be seen sat on the floor blocking the pedestrian entrance to Parliament, while a third protester had scaled scaffolding outside Westminster Hall with a large banner.
XR Protesters shackle themselves to gate outside Parliament
XR demonstrator Lisa from Newbury joined fellow protesters outside the gates of Parliament.
"We are here today because we are addressing the seat of power here in Parliament, because it is not working," she said.
"It is broken.
"We have got a horrendous climate crisis, a huge, obscene, terrible cost-of-living crisis and it is not working.
"We need to let the people decide on the next actions and we do that through a citizens' assembly."
Police officers could be seen surrounding the demonstrators and had earlier led a singing crowd of them out of the Parliamentary estate.
Alanna Byrne, of Extinction Rebellion, said: "It is possible to change things and update politics so it really represents ordinary people.
"Independent citizens' assemblies can show that those blocking progress in Westminster have no democratic mandate to continue destroying the environment and give power back to people. Selected like a jury and supported with independent, expert knowledge, this is true democracy that reflects the diversity of the population.
"But to create a new, fairer politics will require first thousands, then millions of us. It will require sustained culture-shifting civil disobedience, until we become impossible to ignore. Then, when there's enough of us, positive change will become inevitable."
