Hundreds of protesters have gathered in the City of London to campaign against animal cruelty as part of two weeks of planned demonstrations in the capital launched by Extinction Rebellion.
Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of the climate change group, set off from Smithfield Market in Farringdon where they held a rally for speeches before parading through the city.
Protestors included members of the groups Defend Direct Action-Animal Offensive and Camp Beagle, as well as members of a second Extinction Rebellion offshoot, Ocean Rebellion.
London Metropolitan Police confirmed it has arrested 305 people during the protests since Sunday after a week of protests, with more demonstrators were seen being escorted by officers today.
Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of climate change group Extinction Rebellion, protestors set off from Smithfield Market in Farringdon London today
Members of Extinction Rebellion during protest march in central London during the group’s planned fortnight of occupation
Thousands of protesters turned up with placards as they head across Vauxhall bridge in central London
Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of climate change group Extinction Rebellion, activists hold up a flare at a protest in London today
Members of Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of climate change group Extinction Rebellion, during a protest outside Smithfield Market in central London today
Climate change demonstrators from environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion continued with their latest round of protests in central London, promising two weeks of disruption
Animal Rebellion protestors parade a giant octopus through the streets of London
Around 500 marched, holding up banners and signs saying ‘Unite for Animal Justice’, ‘Free the MBR Beagles’ and ‘Meat is Murder’
Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion hold a National Animal Rights March in London today during the group’s ‘Impossible Rebellion’ series of actions
They played drums and blew whistles, stopping at one point outside Blackfriars station. The protest is about about two miles long
Around 500 marched, holding up banners and signs saying ‘Unite for Animal Justice’, ‘Free the MBR Beagles’ and ‘Meat is Murder’.
The campaigners stopped traffic and were escorted by hundreds of Metropolitan Police and City of London police officers.
They played drums and blew whistles, stopping at one point outside Blackfriars station. The protest is about about two miles long and will include stops at different businesses in the City.
Protestors first stopped at the Unilever headquarters in Blackfriars where speakers included landscape gardener and animal rights activist Mel Broughton and environmentalist Tim Bailey.
An Animal Rebellion member told the crowd outside the offices on Victoria Embankment near Blackfriars Station that Unilever had contacted their group following their campaigning, which was greeted with cheering.
The Metropolitan Police tweeted there was a blockage at Blackfriars Bridge due to the protesters and it was resolved shortly afterwards.
They also stopped outside the central London offices of agricultural company Cargill, with hundreds of animal rights activists sitting down in Queen Victoria Street.
Protestors held signs saying ‘it’s not food it’s violence’ and ‘vegan for the animals at the protest in central London today
Campaigners stopped traffic and were escorted by hundreds of Metropolitan Police and City of London police officers
A police officer films an animal rebellion protestor holding a severed cow’s head puppet during the demonstrations in central London
A protestor wears a hat shaped as a dove shielding her face saying ‘act no on climate change’ and ‘stop banking on fossil duels’
Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion hold a National Animal Rights March at Smithfield Market in London today
Mr Bailey told the crowd: ‘We are outside Cargill today, a company, in good part, behind a massive expansion of broiler units and animal slaughter across Herefordshire and Shropshire, making those counties the capital of chicken abuse.’
The crowd booed Cargill, before Tim urged those gathered to ‘go vegan’.
The activists, who are calling the planned two weeks of disturbances the ‘Impossible Rebellion’, lofted banners bearing their familiar slogans and many coated up in face paint for the day out.
It comes as activists claim more people have been inspired to take part in the Extinction Rebellion protest following the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.
Liam Geary Baulch, who helped launch Extinction Rebellion in 2018, said the group saw a jump in donations from people after the document was published on August 9.
He said: ‘Last week £100,000 was raised in crowdfunding in just 24 hours ahead of the two weeks of protests in London.
‘With the IPCC report just coming out, a lot of people have been reignited with the urgency of taking action on the climate and ecological emergency and are aware that, now it’s more safe for everyone to come to London [due to coronavirus restrictions being eased].’
Meanwhile Tory MP Nickie Aiken blasted the group for ‘disrupting local businesses’ and pointed out their hypocrisy for leaving ‘120 tonnes of rubbish’ last time.
She also slammed them for the huge costs having to be pumped into policing the two-week event, branding it ‘shocking’.
Source: Daily Mail
