Environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion supporters entered the House of Commons debating chamber and superglued themselves around the speaker’s chair on Friday.
The climate change demonstrators posted a photo of five people inside the chamber holding banners reading, “Let the people decide” and “Citizens’ Assembly now.”
The group also hung a large banner bearing the same words from scaffolding on the estate, and protesters padlocked themselves to gates outside parliament.
Parliament is not currently sitting.
Britain’s House of Commons said it was dealing with an incident on the parliamentary estate.
“We are aware of an incident on the Parliamentary Estate and are currently dealing with the situation as a matter of urgency,” the House of Commons said in a statement.
Certain areas of the parliamentary complex are usually open to the public, although access to the debating chamber is usually restricted to guided tours.
Extinction Rebellion, a group that previously caused days of traffic chaos in central London, typically protests against climate change issues.
It said the protesters were reading a speech that included the words: “We are in crisis. We cannot afford to carry on like this.”
Climate activists point out the Earth’s atmosphere cannot withstand any more greenhouse gasses without devastating effects around the planet, such as catastrophic superstorms, uncontrollable wildfires, huge sea-level surges and significant flooding.
They are demanding governments worldwide act urgently to curtail the extraction and burning of hydrocarbons – something world leaders have so far failed to do despite decades of science highlighting the potential catastrophe caused by climate change.
BREAKING: Extinction Rebellion have dropped banners across The Palace of Westminster, including off the building.
The protest points to the need for a Citizens’ Assembly to cut through the corruption in Westminster, update politics & let the people decide.
Follow for updates. pic.twitter.com/XarzQFAHcI
— Extinction Rebellion UK 🌍 (@XRebellionUK) September 2, 2022
