Climate Activists Block Stock Exchange

Climate activists have blockaded the London Stock Exchange by gluing themselves across the entrances.

Protesters from Extinction Rebellion attached themselves to walls and to each other at the financial centre in the City of London.

A group also climbed on to a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) train at Canary Wharf and held up banners.

Protesters at both locations were later removed, but police warned of disruption throughout the day.

Demonstrators

Police said Fleet Street would remain closed for about three hours, after it was blocked by activists. Reuters

Elsewhere in the City, temporary road blocks have been set up by activists at Bank and Southwark Bridge.

Others glued themselves together on Fleet Street outside the Goldman Sachs bank headquarters.

Extinction Rebellion is urging the government to “tell the truth” about the scale of the climate crisis, it wants the UK to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and it wants a Citizens’ Assembly to oversee the changes needed to achieve that goal.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested since the protests began on 15 April.

Protesters on DLR train

Four people climbed on an DLR train at Canary Wharf

Protesters block traffic at Bank Junction

Traffic has been blocked during short protests opposite the Bank of England

The group had previously said it would end its action later in the day, having previously blocked sites including Parliament Square and Waterloo Bridge.

Extinction Rebellion said protesters would spend the day focusing on the financial industry “and the corrosive impacts of the financial sector on the world we live in”.

The 13 activists who blockaded the stock exchange wore LED signs reading “Climate emergency”, “Tell the truth” and “You can’t eat money”.

One protester, Adam Woodall, said they had targeted the building because “people are making millions, even billions of pounds out of trading ecological destruction”.

The group was removed by police officers and transferred to police vans.

The London Stock Exchange said markets were all open as normal in spite of the action.

Person glued to train

One woman glued herself to a train carriage, Reuters

London Stock Exchange protester

Thirteen activists had been blockading the stock exchange. Reuters

Four people were standing on top of the DLR train holding signs saying “Business as usual = death” and “Don’t jail the canaries”. Another activist glued herself to a carriage.

Services were able to continue on the DLR, but there were minor delays between Bank and Stratford/Lewisham.

Officers from British Transport Police used ropes, harnesses and ladders to remove the protesters.

Five people had been arrested on suspicion of obstructing the railway, the force said.

DLR protester Phil Kingston

Phil Kingston, 83, was among those taken to custody over the protest at Canary Wharf. Reuters

Police have removed

The activists outside the London Stock Exchange were all led away to nearby police vans. PA

Emma Thompson

Dame Emma Thompson joined the protests on Saturday

Meanwhile, Dame Emma Thompson, who joined the activists on Saturday, has defended flying from Los Angeles to London to take part.

The actress said it was “very difficult to do my job without occasionally flying” but she was “in the very fortunate position of being able to offset my carbon footprint”.

The Hollywood star said people were going to have to fly less as “the future of this planet is at stake”.

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