Protesters chained themselves to concrete factory as part of five-day ‘summer uprising’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Six people have been arrested after chaining themselves to the entrance of a concrete factory during a second day of Extinction Rebellion’s “summer uprising”.

The civil disobedience movement is staging five days of non-violent disruption in five cities around the UK to urge the government to take immediate action to address the climate emergency.

In east London about 50 people blocked the gates at London Concrete in Bow to prevent workers or vehicles from entering the site as protests continued in Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff and Glasgow.

The Metropolitan police said six people – three men and three women, aged between 30 and 67 – had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and obstruction of a highway.

Commander Jane Connors said the construction industry should expect more disruption in the days ahead.

“We absolutely recognise the right for people to protest,” she said. “However, we will continue to take action against those who choose to break the law, to ensure disruption to Londoners is kept to a minimum.

“We are aware that protesters are expected to target the construction industry this week. We are engaging with business across the capital and would urge anyone who becomes aware of protests taking place on their premises to contact police at the earliest opportunity.”

The London protests finished on Tuesday afternoon when the activists headed back to their temporary camp near Waterloo station.

Q&A What is Extinction Rebellion? Show Hide Extinction Rebellion is a protest group that uses non-violent civil disobedience to campaign on environmental issues. Launched in October 2018, with an assembly at Parliament Square to announce a 'declaration of rebellion' against the UK Government, the group has staged regular demonstrations against current environmental policies. More than 1,000 activists were arrested in April 2019 after protesters occupied four sites across London, as well as blocking roads, disrupting a railway line and conducting a protest at Heathrow. Other demonstrations have included a semi-naked protest inside the House of Commons and blockading streets in London, Cardiff, Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow. The group says climate breakdown threatens all life on Earth, and so it is rebelling against politicians who “have failed us”, to provoke radical change that will stave off a climate emergency. The movement has become global with groups set up in countries include the US, Spain, Australia, South Africa and India. Martin Belam Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu

The concrete works is intended to support the construction of the Silvertown tunnel, a £1bn toll road under the Thames. The project – backed by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan – has drawn widespread criticism from environmentalists, local politicians and others concerned about deadly air pollution in the capital.

Campaigners say a major road-building project of this kind is at odds with efforts to tackle London’s toxic air and reduce car use. They say it undermines the mayor’s efforts to promote the city as a global environmental leader.

Extinction Rebellion said Tuesday’s protestwas intended to highlight the project’s impact on residents’ health.

Eleanor McAree, 25, an activist from Tower Hamlets in east London, said: “Concrete has a huge environmental impact and building another tunnel will only make air pollution across east London worse.

“The air pollution is already at dangerous levels and is affecting the health of children and adults in the area. With the siting of this industry right next to two schools, these children face a lifelong negative impact on their health.”

According to recent data from the London Atmospheric Emission Inventory, 2 million people in the capital are living with illegal levels of air pollution.

Although total nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) emissions fell by 9% between 2013 and 2016, the number of primary schools in illegally polluted areas has barely changed in the same period, going from 371 to 369. The number of secondary schools affected rose from 81 to 86, according to City Hall.

The Extinction Rebellion protests in all five cities will continue until Friday.