TEN animal rights protesters have been arrested outside Westminster after throwing paint on the Houses of Parliament.
The protesters, from the animal and climate justice campaign group Animal Rebellion, gathered outside parliament ahead of Liz Truss’s first Prime Minister’s Questions.
Videos show the protesters spraying white paint over the gates of parliament, blocking the road and holding banners which call for a “plant-based future”.
Activists from Animal Rebellion have sprayed parliament with white paint and called on the Government to support a plant-based future, as Liz Truss prepares to face Keir Starmer at PMQs.@RebelsAnimal | #PMQs pic.twitter.com/ccLHeKL1du
— TalkTV (@TalkTV) September 7, 2022
Some protesters also reportedly glued themselves to the road as an “escalation of their plant-based future campaign”.
Andrew Howard, a retired firefighter from Sheffield who was part of the protests, said: “Today’s action is a direct challenge to Prime Minister Liz Truss.
“We are calling on her to make drastic changes that we know need to happen in order to combat the cost-of-living, climate and ecological crises we are facing.”
The organisation has also questioned the appointment of the new Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena.
Jayawardena’s voting record shows that he has “consistently voted against measures to prevent climate change” according to the website They Work For You.
Dr Alice Brough, a livestock veterinarian from Gloucestershire, said: “Liz Truss and Ranil Jayawardena’s attitude of prioritising free trade, no matter the cost, has shown shocking neglect for British farmers, and therefore the rest of us are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.”
The Metropolitan Police said: “At approximately 10.50am, protesters threw white liquid over the gates and walls of Palace of Westminster, Bridge Street.
“Six people carried out sit down protest on the carriageway. Officers promptly on scene. 10 individuals arrested for criminal damage.
“Traffic has resumed to normal.”
