Extinction Rebellion co-founder: Two weeks of protest not limited to the City
22 August 2021, 12:57 | Updated: 22 August 2021, 13:08
Extinction Rebellion is set to occupy sites across London from Monday as they hope to force divestment in fossil fuels.
The environmental campaigners said they wanted to demonstrate in the City of London in response to what they say is the financial hub's funding of activity that harms the planet.
It has caused worries that more disruption of roads and day-to-day lives will ensue with two weeks of protests planned and thousands of people due to take part.
Speaking on Swarbrick on Sunday, Extinction Rebellion co-founder Clare Farrell said it will not just take place in the City – but come to central London too.
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Tom asked Ms Farrell what she would say to people who view Extinction Rebellion's action as a nuisance.
"I would say that disasters are costing billions of dollars every year now – double in America last year over the year before.
"It costs a fortune, inaction, with every month, or week or day that goes past and we don't act on this, we've known about it long enough, we're in breakdown now and we can see it all around you.
"So what we're saying is act now, we have to demand action now."
Extinction Rebellion is using the two weeks to insist on divestment in fossil fuels, citizen assemblies to discuss the climate crisis, demand the media and Government tells the truth about the environment and get to net zero greenhouse emissions by 2025.
The latter target is 25 years before the Government's legal deadline.
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Previously, the Met's commissioner Dame Cressida Dick told LBC the protests will be met with a "firm but fair response".
Past protests have seen the group block central London roads.
Dame Cressida said she was "very disappointed" over the climate protesters' plans and threatened "pre-emptive" action to stop them from causing disruption that takes time to clear.
Ms Farrell insisted she did not know where the protests would happen but expected them to start in the West End, with the group meeting at Trafalgar Square tomorrow morning.
"They'll move from an assembly there to various different places for site occupations," she said.
"I personally don't know exactly where they're going to go but there'll be multiple public space occupations and they'll run over the first week into the second week.
"Probably they'll change, the first week is going to start in the West End and moving more to the City in the second week."
