Extinction Rebellion: Police dismantle pink ship of demonstrators at Oxford Circus | News from the United Kingdom



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Police began dismantling the pink ship at the center of Oxford Circus, which has been a focal point for climate change protesters this week.

Officers kept a tight circle on the boat throughout the day and finally managed to turn off the last activist before beginning to disassemble it.

The boat bears the words "Tell the Truth". It has been anchored on the street for the past few days.

Earlier today, Emma Thompson read a poem to the crowd while on the ship.

One of the last demonstrators of the Extinction Rebellion attached to the boat, which was glued to the mast, is detached and aided to leave the boat by the police.
Image:
One of the last demonstrators of the Extinction Rebellion attached to the boat, which was glued to the mast, is detached and aided to leave the boat by the police.

Police have kept activists away from today's protests, which have been blocking parts of central London. There were more than 100 prisons on Friday.

Extinction Rebellion, the group behind the protests, tweeted: "The police began to make arrests at Oxford Circus after we finished reading our poems to the crowd.

"We need the government to take radical measures now.

"Please listen to people, or stand aside and let something better appear."

Lady Emma Thompson was accused of hypocrisy after flying from the United States to participate in the protests.
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Lady Emma Thompson was charged with hypocrisy after flying from the United States to join the protests

Sky News reporter Helen-Ann Smith, who is at Oxford Circus, said Friday's meeting began quietly, but that the mood has "changed a bit" ever since.

She said about 300 police arrived and surrounded the large pink boat used as a symbol by the Extinction Rebellion, the group behind the protests.

Later, officers began the process of freeing demonstrators who had attached themselves to the structure of the ship.

Police estimate that 570 people have been arrested since Friday
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Police estimate that 570 people have been arrested since Friday

At 5:30 a.m. on Friday, police said they had arrested 106 people during the day, raising the arrests so far to 682.

Just a few hours earlier, about 20 young people from the group gathered next to a roundabout at Heathrow Airport.

They held a banner saying "are we the last generation?" – but, in the midst of a strong police presence, all the roads remained open.

On Thursday, the Extinction Rebellion had threatened to "raise the level" in Britain's busiest airport, which was expected to be used by nearly 250,000 people on the first day of Easter break.

Climate change activists are seen during a protest of the Extinction Rebellion at Oxford Circus in London, Great Britain, April 19, 2019
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Officials have moved to surround the large pink boat at the center of the protest

But on Friday at lunchtime, demonstrators left without interrupting a single flight, saying they felt their message had been heard.

Meanwhile, actress Dame Emma Thompson told demonstrators gathered at Oxford Circus, saying "our planet is in serious trouble."

She told Sky News that she was a member of anti-climate change groups for decades and was frustrated by the government's lack of action on the issue.

A fifth day of protests is taking place across the capital
Image:
A fifth day of protests is taking place across the capital

She added, "I really care about my children and my grandchildren enough to want to be here today to stand next to the next generation who is so inspiring, who understands the problem.

"I have seen successive governments sign successive agreements on climate change over the years and so I have watched them absolutely and absolutely ignore the agreements they made because they are not legally binding.

"When it comes to fossil fuels, democracy does not go into that."

British actress Emma Thompson (C) gestures as police circle the pink boat as the stage for climate change activists occupying the crossroads of Oxford Circus in central London on April 19, 2019 during the fifth day of an environmental protest. Extinction Rebellion Group
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Dame Emma Thompson told the protesters that the planet "is in trouble"

Dame Emma was also charged with hypocrisy after taking a 5,400-mile flight from Los Angeles to the US to attend the protests.

Protests have blocked Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Parliament Square and Waterloo Bridge since Monday. On Friday afternoon, only 10 people were indicted.

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