Environmental protestors under the banner of Extinction Rebellion have been blocking three strategic London road points since Monday. The camp at Marble Arch remains as do the plants and people blocking Waterloo Bridge, despite arrests. The pink boat blocking Oxford Circus and acting as a DJ stand shown above has been removed peacefully by police.
Meanwhile in Paris
Hundreds of climate activists staged a protest in Paris's business district of La Défense on Friday morning to highlight the "toxic alliance" between the French state and multinationals that they accuse of being responsible for global warming.
It was a far cry from "business as usual" at Paris's bustling business district, La Défense, on Friday morning.
Thousands of climate change activists had chained themselves to the entrances of energy companies – such as Total and EDF (Électricité de France) – to protest against what they call President Emmanuel Macron's "toxic alliance" with polluting multinationals.
"Totally irresponsible," some of the protesters chanted.
French oil giant Total has been targeted because of its record on greenhouse gas emissions.
"It's the factory of climate change," said Clément Sénéchal of Greenpeace, one of the NGOs organising the "mass civil disobedience" action along with Friends of the Earth and ANV-COP21, in comments to AFP.
Greenpeace reported more than 2,000 participants. A police source said "a hundred" militants were chained to the EDF tower.
Paris police were shown on BBC News pepper spraying protestors to move them from the doors of an office block (Do they have no back entrance??) London police have been making large numbers of arrests for minor offences at Waterloo Bridge. The exchanges are going like this for the most part:
10 am
PC 999 approaches seated protestor.
PC “Excuse me, would you mind getting up and moving on as you are causing an obstruction.
Protestor “Sorry officer, my friends and I intend to stay until the Government agrees to meet with us to speed up environmental legislation”.
PC. “In that case, I have to tell you that you are under arrest for obstruction.
“You do not have to say anything. But, it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
“Would you like to walk to the police van?”
Protestor; “No sorry officer”
PC. “In that case, my colleagues will carry you”
Protestor lies down. Four or five police officers carry them to the waiting van for transport to a police station for charging.
3 pm
(Same) Protestor: “Hello officer, still on duty?”
PC 4999: “Yes, till 5. So they released you then. Did they give you something for lunch?”
Protestor: ”No they had run out of vegan food but they did have a herbal tea”
PC: “Sorry about that but I hope you’ll understand there’s been a big demand this week. Now enjoy the music and don’t let me catch you causing an obstruction again …. today”.
Although police have made nearly 700 arrests so far this week, the situation remains peaceful if not friendly. Attempts to disrupt Heathrow Airport appear to have been thwarted. In general the protests appear to have been supported by the public. I had to go into central London on Wednesday and not having to dodge traffic to cross Charing Cross Road was a pleasure.
There was a lot of public tutting, and disowning by the leading organisers of Extinction Rebellion, at the trio who glued themself to or sat on the top of a DLR (Dockland Light Railway) car in Canary Wharf station. That was “off message” in terms of encouraging people to use public transport. If anything it smacked too much of an anti-capitalist protest at the centre of a business district than pro-environmental direct action.
As of Friday evening, protestors have sat singing at Oxford Circus but now the boat has gone it will be easier to clear the road. Before it was removed, the actor Emma Thompson addressed the crowd from it.
Emma Thompson joined protesters, saying it was the "first real hopeful movement I've joined".
Speaking from the blockade at Marble Arch, Ms Thompson said: "Our Planet is in deep danger, our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren are going to face problems the likes of which we cannot even begin to imagine. Unfortunately our governments haven't listened to us, so now we have to make them listen."
A lot of arrests have been made at Waterloo Bridge but newcomers and returning arrestees have kept the numbers up. It looks like the police are trying to move the people from these two sites to Marble Arch.
There has been the usual counter-blast that the whole thing is costing too much police time and of course “their time off for the Easter holiday with their kids has had to be stopped”. A private fear might be that the rank-and-file police are “going native”.
Met chiefs have also condemned footage of officers dancing with protesters. The videos posted on social media, which showed police officers joining activists at Oxford Circus on Wednesday evening, have been condemned as "unacceptable behaviour".
"We expect our officers to engage with protesters but clearly their actions fall short of the tone of the policing operation," Cdr Jane Connors said.
Unfortunately for the police it looks like PC Rain will not be available to help crowd control. The weather forecast for London is hotter and sunnier than Athens. That may thin out the crowds …. or grow the numbers of protestors.
Neither does the tactic of mass arrests helped. The organisers have learned from the Suffragettes, swamp the system and arrests only encourage more to join in. Of course the police have an answer for that:
Met Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave has said police may need new powers to deal with non-violent protests on this scale, due to the large number of arrestees for police and courts to deal with.
London’s Mayor has also been drawing attention to cuts in police budgets, in real terms, by the Government causing lower police numbers.