On 2 September, Extinction Rebellion (XR), the climate change direct action group, carried out actions at the Westminster parliament in London. Three XR members glued themselves to a chain inside the chamber of the house of commons. Two other campaigners held large banners reading: ‘Citizens Assembly Now’ and ‘Let the People Decide’.
Meanwhile, another two XR activists D-locked themselves by their necks to the gates to the members’ car park and an eighth rebel climbed up the scaffolding on Big Ben’s tower to hang a banner with the same slogans.
Six of the activists were charged with trespassing on a protected site. The two who locked-on to the gate were charged with failing to comply with an order to cease their protest.
Europe
XR Sweden carried out actions in the weeks leading up to Sweden’s general election on 11 September, including a blockade of Stockholm’s major roads.
Meanwhile, XR Germany organised days of action in Hamburg in August, leading to a nine-hour blockade of the access bridge to the port, a major fossil fuel transit point. The police assaulted protesters with water cannons, mace and tear gas; several activists had to be treated in hospital as a result.