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24th Apr 2019

Extinction Rebellion London protests will finish tomorrow

The group have announced the end of their protests

Oli Dugmore

Extinction Rebellion have announced the end of their protests

Extinction Rebellion protests blockading major junctions in central London will end tomorrow.

The group set up camps at Oxford Circus, Parliament Square, Marble Arch, Waterloo Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and even attempted to close the main traffic route into Heathrow airport.

Over 1,000 people were arrested and the Met Police charged 71 in connection to the demonstrations which will come to a close at 5pm tomorrow in Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner.

Police officers continue to clear Oxford Circus of protesters and dismantle a pink ship that formed the centerpiece of the demonstrations during the fifth day of a coordinated protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on April 19, 2019 in London, England. The environmental campaign group has blocked a number of key junctions in central London and have threatened to disrupt Heathrow airport, in a bid to highlight the ongoing ecological crisis. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

80 cities in 33 countries participated in the action, the group said.

The group’s aim was to have as many of its members arrested during the coordinated “week of action,” with other chapters across the world.

Extinction Rebellion said their intention was to conduct non-violent acts of resistance and “peaceful action,” however three men were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage near the Shell HQ after its windows were smashed.

An Extinction Rebellion statement said: “We will leave the physical locations but a space for truth-telling has been opened up in the world.

“We would like to thank Londoners for opening their hearts and demonstrating their willingness to act on that truth.

“We know we have disrupted your lives. We do not do this lightly. We only do this because this is an emergency.

“People are talking about the climate and ecological emergency in ways that we never imagined.”