Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion shut down roads across the United Kingdom on Monday, protesting against dangerous levels of air pollution which they claim are killing 25 people each day in London, the organization stated on their website
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th December, 2019) Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion shut down roads across the United Kingdom on Monday, protesting against dangerous levels of air pollution which they claim are killing 25 people each day in London, the organization stated on their website.In a press release published on their website, Extinction Rebellion announced that they were staging a protest in central London, outside Leicester Square subway station. This site was chosen because of its dangerously high levels of pollution, and six people have glued themselves to 25 concrete blocks, designed as tombstones, to represent the 25 people who die in London daily from poor air quality, the organization stated.
"We are here demanding action on illegal levels of toxic air in our communities, our schools and our streets. In February 2017, the European Commission issued a 'final warning' to the UK over illegal levels of air pollution. In May that year, after the government failed to take decisive action, they were taken to Europe's highest court, the European court of justice," Extinction Rebellion spokeswoman, Rosamund Frost, said in a press release published on the organization's website.
Activists in London implored the government to take action to tackle poor air quality, which, they state, was not only responsible for the deaths of increasing numbers of people, but also contributed to rising levels of child asthma and premature births.
"The government has been trying to do something about it but their policies have been found to be unlawful three times. A climate crisis is happening right now, people are dying right now in London," Dr. Vishal Chauhan said, in a video published on Extinction Rebellion's Twitter page.
Concurrent protests are also taking place in Manchester, Weymouth, Yeovil and York. Extinction Rebellion is demanding that climate change be pushed to the top of the political agenda, ahead of Thursday's general election.
According to Extinction Rebellion, the seven activists who participated in the Leicester Square protest were being arrested by the Metropolitan police. This has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
On Friday, an Extinction Rebellion activist glued himself to the campaign bus of Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, as the organization staged coordinated protests around the United Kingdom, targeting political leaders.
The group, which staged large-scale protests earlier in October that cost London an estimated $27 million, has campaigned for political leaders to sign up to their Three Demands Bill. This document implores the government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, commit to cutting greenhouse gas emissions to reach net zero by 2025 and create a citizens' assembly on climate and ecological justice.
