Oxford Circus climate demo [image credit: London Evening Standard]
People shouldn’t be allowed to ignore the law in pursuit of their beliefs. Protest is permitted up to a point, but go too far and the police have to act to try and restore order.
The Met [Metropolitan Police] will push for the prosecution of more than 1,100 people arrested over last month’s Extinction Rebellion protests, a senior officer has said.
So far more than 70 activists have been charged in connection with the demonstrations that brought parts of central London to a standstill, reports BBC News.
Ten days of protests in April saw 1,130 people arrested for various offences.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor said the Met wanted to deter other groups employing similar tactics.
The group’s tactics included asking volunteers to deliberately get arrested to cause maximum disruption at roadblocks on Waterloo Bridge, Oxford Circus and Marble Arch.
Other protesters glued themselves to trains and buildings.
Mr Taylor said 70 people had so far been charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
“It is our anticipation that we are putting all of those to the CPS for decisions,” he said.
Mr Taylor insisted the Met was equipped to deal with any upcoming actions and said officers from other forces would be called into action if needed.
Full report here.
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May 25, 2019 at 03:10AM
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