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Hundreds of cyclists and climate change protesters took to the streets of Cardiff to slow down traffic during rush hour for the second time.

Extinction Rebellion protesters slowly cycled along Castle Street just after 5.30pm on Wednesday and made their way through the city, holding up traffic.

The protest is part of a global movement which blocked off large parts of central London over the last week in order to raise awareness over climate change.

(Image: Phil Dewey)

The movement has received support from actress and activist Dame Emma Thompson and former archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams.

In London, protesters blocked off large parts of the city as they called for the government to declare a climate emergency.

Oxford Circus, one of the city's busiest shopping and tourist districts, was blocked by a huge pink boat being paraded through the street.

The protests have caused traffic chaos in the city centre.

(Image: Phil Dewey)

At the Cardiff protest, event organiser Louise Gray said: "Extinction Rebellion is about asking the Government to take climate change seriously and to get real about the climate chaos we're in.

"We want them to develop a whole range of possibilities to bring us to zero carbon emissions by 2025.

"We're very lucky in Wales because we have a government more on our side than Westminster and we want to work with them and help them to make the right decisions.

"We're asking for a citizens assembly to oversee this and we want ordinary people to as in a jury to oversee decision making. These are our demands.

"We have a lot of parents and grandparents with us today because this is about future generations."

(Image: Phil Dewey)

Among those taking part in the ride was Izzy Thomas, 25, of Rumney .

She said: "People have been aware of the state we could be in for decades and decades and we have done nothing about it.

"We need desperate measures or we're going to end up with a catastrophe on our hands and unfortunately it seems the only way to get people to pay attention is to make disruption."

A similar protest on Tuesday saw 200 people take part while another protest is due to take place on Thursday.

The protest in London is now coming to an end.

The Extinction Rebellion (XR) group said they will "voluntarily end the Marble Arch and Parliament Square blockades" in the capital on Thursday.

In a statement, XR said: "We would like to thank Londoners for opening their hearts and demonstrating their willingness to act on that truth.

"We know we have disrupted your lives. We do not do this lightly. We only do this because this is an emergency. Around the planet, a long-awaited and much-needed conversation has begun.

"People have taken to the streets and raised the alarm in more than 80 cities in 33 countries. People are talking about the climate and ecological emergency in ways that we never imagined."

The group added: "It is now time to go back into our communities, whether in London, around the UK or internationally."

XR also said to expect more actions "very soon", adding that there will be a "closing ceremony" at Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park on Thursday at 5pm.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested during XR protests which started on April 15, while more than 10,000 police officers have been deployed.

As of Tuesday evening, Scotland Yard had charged 69 people in connection with the protests. They were charged with offences including breach of Section 14 Notice of the Public Order Act 1986, obstructing a highway and obstructing police.

Three others have been charged by British Transport Police and have appeared in court.

Elliott Cuciurean, 20, believed to be the first climate activist successfully prosecuted over the fresh wave of XR protests, was spared a fine at a court hearing on Tuesday.

XR action has seen Waterloo Bridge and Oxford Circus blocked and a "die in" at the Natural History Museum.

Elsewhere, activists have glued themselves to trains, chained themselves to objects, and some could even be seen perching in hammocks up trees overlooking Parliament Square.

Members of XR have previously indicated temporarily ending disruptive tactics to focus on political negotiations.