Extinction Rebellion protesters removed from ‘tower’ in Trafalgar Square

12 October 2019, 10:48

Police dismantled a makeshift 'tower' constructed by Extinction Rebellion protesters in Trafalgar Square today.

A group of protesters were clinging to the tower in central London with a team of police working to bring them down safely from the structure.

The protesters had stuck their arms into the container making them hard to remove.

Earlier the wooden structure was knocked, and the protesters have been made to wear hard hats by police.

The action blocked off a large section of the roads surrounding Trafalgar Square.

Scotland Yard's latest figures show 1,290 arrests have been made in connection with the Extinction Rebellion environment protests in London this week.

The Metropolitan Police tweeted: "As of 9.30hrs on Saturday, 12 October, there have been 1,290 arrests in connection with the ongoing Extinction Rebellion protests across London."

In the small hours of today, animal rights protesters carried out a demonstration at Billingsgate Fish Market in London.

Video footage showed dozens of demonstrators standing outside the famous market in Poplar in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Animal Rebellion, which aims to "end the animal agriculture industry", has said it is behind the protest.

In a series of Twitter posts, the group said it had stopped traffic entering the fish market, and that one protester had been locked onto an entrance gate.

A photo posted by the group also shows a woman being carried away by three police offices and is accompanied by the caption "Mass Arrests at Billingsgate".

The Metropolitan Police was unable to confirm whether there had been any arrests.

In a tweet about its "vigil" at the fish market, Animal Rebellion said: "So many here, here for the fishes, for the thousands in the market, dead or dying, for the trillions killed this year #friendsnotfood."

Animal Rebellion describes itself as a "mass volunteer movement" demanding that the Government end the "destructive animal farming and fishing industries".

According to the group's website, it wants the Government to lead a "transition to a just, sustainable plant-based food system".

The group said it stands in "solidarity" with the climate change group Extinction Rebellion.