Extinction Rebellion Eco-Activists Stage Protest In Madrid Amid COP25 Climate Talks

MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2019) Extinction Rebellion climate change activists on Tuesday staged a protest in Spain's downtown Madrid as the 25th UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) was taking place.

The eco-activists tried to block the road in the area of Plaza de Cibeles, where the city hall of the Spanish capital is located, holding posters displaying the slogan, "Climate crisis � tell the truth, act immediately," in the Russian language.

The members of the climate movement then staged a performance in which several activists lied in the fountain on the square and threw life jackets into it, symbolizing the refugees who had drowned in the Mediterranean in attempts to get from Africa to Europe and victims of climate change who had died in floods. The performance halted traffic for about 10 minutes.

On COP25's opening day, Extinction Rebellion activists also held a protest at the Ifema exhibition venue, where the conference is ongoing.

COP25 began on Monday in the Spanish capital and will run through to December 13. The conference was initially set to take place in Chile, but due to large-scale anti-government protests in the country, President Sebastian Pinera was forced to cancel. Spain then picked up the hosting duties, with Chile remaining as the event's chair.

In recent months, the Extinction Rebellion has been actively staging protests in attempts to bring the public's attention toward global warming, which they refer to as a climate emergency.