UK Police Arrests Of Climate Change Activists In London Increased To Over 200 - Statement

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2019) The number of protesters against environmental pollution arrested by the UK Metropolitan Police Service in the ongoing rally in central London has increased to 209, the police said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, the police said that about 122 arrests were made as thousands of protesters blocked traffic on several highways in London during rush hours on Monday and Tuesday.

"Throughout today, Tuesday, 16 April, officers have made an additional 87 arrests at Waterloo Bridge on suspicion of breaching a Section 14 Notice of the Public Order Act 1986 and obstructing a highway. They are in the process of being taken into custody ... At this time, we have made a total of 209 arrests," the police said.

The police noted that the ongoing demonstrations were causing "serious disruptions to public transport, local businesses and Londoners who wish to go about their daily business.

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Citing the demonstrators' plans to continue protests round the clock for the next two weeks, the police stressed the need for a "right balance" between honoring the right to a peaceful protest and ensuring that disruption to communities is kept to a minimum.

The police also indicated that they had offered the protesters to restrict their actions to the Marble Arch area in central London to prevent further disruption.

The protest was organized by the UK Extinction Rebellion environmental organization, which previously set up a similar action during a UK parliament session in early April, during which time 12 people were detained. The activists demand that the government addresses what they describe as an "ecological emergency."