Tower Bridge has been closed after climate activists abseiled off the sides of the London landmark, the Metropolitan Police have said. Officers were called to the bridge at 7.30am on Friday morning, according to the force.
The closure of the busy route has caused long queues of traffic in the area. Video shared by the Daily Mail shows officers standing on the bridge as a protester abseils off the side.
Two Extinction Rebellion activists are hanging from Tower Bridge by suspension cords and have unfurled a huge banner that reads: “End fossil fuels now,” the climate protest group has said. The protesters have also released red flares.
The group said: “The action has taken place at the gateway to the City of London – the root source of fossil fuel funding in the UK – and on the eve of the April Rebellion which begins tomorrow at 10am in Hyde Park.”
Amy Rugg-Easey, who is taking part in the demonstration, said: “I ask myself why I do these things all the time, and the main thing that drives me is that I have tremendous hope and optimism in humanity’s ability to fight the climate crisis – but there are certain people who continue to prevent that for their own profit.”
The action by Extinction Rebellion, which is calling for an end to all new fossil fuel infrastructure, comes after eight days of disruption at oil facilities by the group and the Just Stop Oil coalition. The bridge is closed to traffic, causing long queues.
