Extinction Rebellion turn their ‘Bruce Lee’ tactics to the City as they block roads in the hope of causing maximum disruption to financial institutions including the Bank of England in an eighth day of London protests
Extinction Rebellion have blocked roads in the City of London this morning as the mayhem they are bringing to the capital rolled into a second week.
Protesters have blocked a junction outside the Bank of England as they use Hong-Kong-inspired moving protests to cause maximum disruption.
They will move along Fleet Street to the Royal Courts of Justice later today, hoping to shut down the High Court and Court of Appeal.
The group set up training camps over the weekend as they try to bring in reinforcements following more than 1,300 arrests last week.
Amid heavy rain in London this morning, the numbers of demonstrators seemed much depleted compared to last week’s protests.
Extinction Rebellion shut down roads around the Bank of England this morning as they attempt to push the chaos they are bringing to the capital
They have borrowed the Bruce Lee phrase ‘Be Water’, which was used by the Hong Kong protesters, to inspire constantly changing targets to out-fox police.
This morning, dozens of activists are sitting or standing in the road as City workers leave Bank tube station.
In some surrounding streets traffic has been brought to a standstill, with long queues of buses sat empty with their engines off.
Protesters, sheltering under umbrellas, are holding aloft flags bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo, while drummers play.
Activists have covered themselves in a large green tarpaulin to protect against the rain.
Many are holding banners and placards bearing messages targeting financial institutions, such as ‘divest from climate change’ and ‘invest in soil not oil’.
Dave Evans, 32, an IT consultant from London, said he had taken two weeks unpaid leave to join the Extinction Rebellion protests.
He said the finance sector needed to ‘stop funding the climate crisis’.