Maajid Nawaz Offers Some Advice To The Climate Change Activists

19 April 2019, 11:49 | Updated: 19 April 2019, 11:55

Amid news that 570 people have been now arrested at Extinction Rebellion protests in London, Maajid Nawaz offered some advice to the protesters.

Young climate change protesters launched a small protest this morning outside Heathrow airport, amid a plan to "shut down" the transport hub.

After several "non-violent civil disobedience" protests in recent days, Extinction Rebellion group are set to attempt to "raise the bar" by blocking UK's busiest airport, which is expected to be used by almost 250,000 people today.

The home secretary told police they could use the "full force of the law" to stop illegal demonstrations during the Easter break.

After 'thanking' the protesters for "making us all scrutinise our behaviour and question ourselves", Maajid Nawaz went on to offer some advice to Extinction Rebellion.

Maajid offered some advice for next steps: "Think the Occupy movement, think how decentralised it was and how lofty its aims and ideals were but how quickly it fell.

"There's a danger that you - Extinction Rebellion - go the way of the Occupy movement and end up fragmenting and splintering until only the most extreme and most intolerant elements of your movement are left."

He continued: "The next steps must be to start working with credible politicians that take this issue seriously from a policy level, and to start making some of that systemic change that you're calling for."

The presenter said that Extinction Rebellion had successfully "refocused that consciousness" towards the environment and diverted attention away from Brexit, and now needed to "seize that momentum" and work towards policy change by "working with quote unquote, the enemy".