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More than 1,000 protesters have descended on central London for a huge demonstration by climate group Extinction Rebellion.

The activists blocked all of the roads around Parliament Square as they planned to bury a coffin which they said represented the future of life on the planet.

Images showed the coffin being marched to Downing Street and the gates of Buckingham Palace during Saturday's rally.

Photos also showed police and protesters clashing. The Met Police later confirmed 14 arrests had been made, all for criminal damage.

It comes after days of protests on the capital’s roads over the last week which caused rush hour traffic to repeatedly grind to a halt.

The group said it has no choice but to hold the demonstrations to draw attention to government inaction on pollution levels and climate change.

Today’s Rebellion Day 2 protest event is to highlight the government’s failure to recognise and act on an ecological and climate emergency, the group says.

Last Saturday, Rebellion Day 1 was said to be a celebration of the life on earth protesters want to save as thousands blocked five bridges in central London.

Emily, 36 from London, said of the second protest: “I’m standing amongst hundreds of people prepared to rise up in rebellion to save what we can of our future.

“We are going to take every action that we can, we are going to disrupt again and again and again so that space might be cleared where we can create a better future.”

Invited guests, speakers and performers included human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, rapper Dizraeli, folk singer Sam Lee and author of Only Planet Ed Gillespie.

In a statement, Extinction Rebellion said: “We Rebel because we love this world. It breaks our hearts to see it ravaged, to watch so many people and animals all over this world already dying, to know that this will soon happen to our children without urgent changes. There is no way forward without giving credence to our grief

“We are serious, this is an emergency, this is our home we are watching collapse."