Thousands of environmental activists from the Extinction Rebellion group gathered in central London on Monday to launch two-week demonstrations calling on governments to act "urgently" to combat climate variability.
Waving flags or banners bearing the slogans "Planet Before Profit", the activists headed to Trafalgar Square in the center of the capital, where speeches were to be given.
Amidst a heavy security presence, some cut off the streets leading to the square, where others spread a giant pink table on which a banner was placed calling on leaders and citizens to “sit at the table” negotiations in order to save the planet.
"With floods, fires and famines in the world, it is clear that climate change is a reality and there is an urgent need to take urgent action," the move said in a statement, stressing that "everyone has their say on the greatest crisis of our time."
Some participants brought their pink chairs or tables "to invite people across the city to talk about the climate and environmental emergency," according to the group.
The network of activists formed in the UK in 2018, regularly uses civil disobedience to highlight the inaction of governments in the face of climate change.
This march marks the beginning of two weeks of movements, demonstrations, conferences and training courses scheduled in the British capital.
The protesters, in particular, are demanding the British government to stop all investments in fossil fuels, while the United Kingdom is scheduled to host the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow (Scotland) in November.
Many environmental activists see this meeting as the last chance for world leaders to agree on drastic policies to avoid further global warming after the "severe warning" in early August from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
According to this report by United Nations climate experts, the planet is expected to reach the +1.5°C threshold compared to the pre-industrial era around 2030, ten years earlier than expected.
In 2019, the Extinction Rebellion group carried out a series of shocking moves in the UK and the world. After raids in the financial center of London, police banned protests in the British capital and arrested 1,828 people in ten days.
