Extinction Rebellion kicks off ‘summer uprising’ with large coloured boats and protests in five UK cities Campaigners target Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff and London

Extinction Rebellion took to the streets of five major cities today as it kicked off its “summer uprising” – staging protests in Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds and London.

The group, which brought central London to a standstill for ten days in April in part one of its rebellion, has now embarked on phase two.

“This is the next phase of the rebellion, and it will be as large, if not larger, than the International Rebellion in London, but this time distributed across the UK,” a spokesman said.

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“For it to be successful, we need everyone’s commitment,” he added.

What the protesters are doing

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Protesters in each city unveiled large coloured boats, each named after an environmental activist, with the message “Act Now” on it.

They staged a series of “creative acts of civil disobedience”, blocking specific locations, bridges and roads as well as holding talks, workshops, people’s assemblies and family-friendly activities.

Protesters are targeting Leeds’ financial district to draw attention to the links between banking and the climate and ecological emergency.

‘Act now’

Members of Extinction Rebellion parked a large green boat outside Cardiff Castle and held banners reading “Act Now” and “Climate Emergency” as commuters were subjected to delays during the morning rush hour.

Tents were also set up on grass in front of Cardiff City Hall, the home of the Welsh capital’s local government, as campaigners looked set to camp there ahead of more disruption in the coming days.

A leaflet handed out by campaigners said they were protesting “to prevent the breakdown of humanity’s life support system, the Earth”, and said they were calling for the the UK Government to create a “national assembly” to implement climate change solutions.

‘People are dying right now of climate chaos in places like India’ Stephen Lingwood

Stephen Lingwood, 37, from Extinction Rebellion Cardiff, said: “People are dying right now of climate chaos in places like India. It’s only going to get worse.

“We’re at the beginning of the sixth mass extinction and a climate genocide and the Government’s inaction is, in my view, criminally irresponsible.”

Protesters parked a large blue boat outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, ahead of prosecutions of more than 1,000 people arrested during protests in April, with activists calling for all the cases to be dropped.