From The Independent
‘If and when 10,000 people sit in a street and refuse to be moved, then what the police will ‘allow’ is neither here nor there’
- Andy Gregory
- Thursday 18 July 2019 19:06
Extinction Rebellion have dismissed Scotland Yard‘s claim that the force would not allow large-scale London protests planned for October.
The climate change activist group said the matter would likely be ”out of their hands, however hard they try to arrest us”.
The group is planning demonstrations on a bigger scale than those in April, when they occupied four sites in the capital for 11 days with one of the UK’s largest civil disobedience campaigns in decades.
Deputy assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor of London’s Metropolitan Police told reporters those protests had been ”wholly unacceptable”.
He said: “It went well beyond the realm of what was reasonable and we would not tolerate that level of disruption again.”
In response, Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Rupert Read told The Independent his comments were “interesting”.
He said: “When masses of people take non-violent direct action, the matter is no longer entirely in the police’s hands. If and when 10,000 people sit in a street and refuse to be moved, then what the police will ‘allow’ is neither here nor there. There aren’t enough of them to arrest us all and when they arrest some of us, others take their place.”
Police said they had been forced to divert officers from tackling crime and policing neighbourhoods to deal with April’s protests – which saw a pink boat block Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge fitted with greenery and skateboard ramps.
Activists called it “Garden Bridge”.
Mr Taylor said officers arrested more than 1,150 people during the protests and around 180 have been charged so far. He has previously said he wants the Met to push for every one of those arrested to be charged.
“We absolutely respect people’s fundamental right to protest, but we do not accept that extends to causing misery and mass disruption to everybody,” Mr Taylor said. “Absolutely I can assure Londoners we will do everything we can to avoid that situation again.”
But Mr Read said “any disruption that we cause is just a vanishingly-small fraction of the disruption to our entire civilisation and utter misery that ecological breakdown and climate breakdown are starting to bring.”
He added: “Blocking a few streets or even closing an airport for a while does not begin to compare with the permanent flooding of those streets or to super-hurricanes or tornados.”
Extinction Rebellion, which has won the backing of scientists, researchers and academics who worry that the official response to climate change is lagging far behind the severity of the crisis, has said it hopes to cause even greater disruption in October than it did in April.
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hen Mr Read claimed that global warming would cause super hurricanes or tornadoes he diplsay enormous ignorance of climatology. You don’t need any of the scientifically useless computer models loved by the global warming morons to see that the number and strength of both tornadoes and hurricanes has declined as global warming has occurred over the past 50 years. ome global warming – less than 2/3rd of a degree Celsius since 1978. Gee, I’m shaking in my boots. We don’t need protection form non-existent doomsday scenarios spouted by ty the global warming morons – we need protection from THEM.
Their political science is real and dangerous. Orwell provided them a game plan and they intend to follow through with it.
I think we’re all getting a little tired of juvenile street theater performed by dimwitz.
Tedious and ineffective. These are children in search of attention, it’s their handlers behind the curtain who interest me.
I’m all for hosing them with high pressure water– let’s see how long they lay there in the street. They won’t appreciate their designer jeans and tops being saturated. If that doesn’t work how about sound amplification technology—I wonder how long these snowflakes will stick around for that treatment.
exactly what i was thinking oct in uk should be on the cool side?
firehoses and yes all the lovely war excess- sound cannon microwave crowd dispersers should be brought out for a bit of an airing;-))))
lets see a “rupert” or many of em , cop it
I propose the same solution a european farmer used when activists took over his farm. He just sprayed the people with liquid manure. It was a very funny video.
Support that completely. October ion London is on the cooler side so hitting them with water hoses should spoil their days fairly effectively.
Arrest them ALL…
Throw up a wire fence surrounding them ALL and don’t allow them to Exit it until they have ALL been processed. It should take around a month to process the first to the last. Once the Last One is processed, then they can be released.
I don’t think it’s dangerous. As a former 1960’s and early ’70’s “radical” I found few of my fellow believers willing to get arrested for the cause. In those days, it was the Viet Nam war. When the cops showed up, most of us ran away. Government, and their minions, police, hate any mass movement that impinges on public property and will happily cart away any number of people to jail to clear the streets. And the ordinary blokes who have to go to work in the morning along those streets like this.
The “Extinction Rebellion” should be concerned with the Muslim Invasion which is much worse for Europe than any kind of climate issue.
They are not that concerned about threats except with regard to their getting attention and power.
Your anti-Muslim hate speech doesn’t belong on a site about climate change. I ask the Moderator to remove it.
Ronald, the fact that you don’t like what someone says doesn’t make it “hate speech.” This has become one of the go-to tactics of the Left to silence their political opponents. PC, in general, is the attempt to use social mores to attack ideas and people that one doesn’t like.
Some aspects of the Muslim culture are antithetical to Western culture and laws. Its treatment of women and people of other religions are the most obvious. The Enlightenment removed the more problematic aspects of Christianity. Islam could use some of the same.
+1 More people need to understand this. Or maybe they already do but are silent.
In the UK a statement that isn’t 100% pro-muslim will get you jail time. Same for most of europe. The left here in the US is trying to make us sharia compliant as well.
The 1st Amendment ultimately gives the strident speech police problems. I hope it doesn’t get down to the 2nd Amendment, but I stand ready; these are nasty people.
++++ yup serious problem already and will only get worse
pc ness can go to hell
“This has become one of the go-to tactics of the Left”
This ALWAYS has been one of the go-to tactics of the Left!
There, fixed!
Dave Fair
Hear, hear. +10 !
Ronald G
It´s not hate speech to mention real threats. Wake up, this is real world, and you should try to understand it. It´s not Tinkerbell fairytales any more. That PC- shit sucks.
IPCC has already tried to link migration to climate change and there has been many disengenuous attempts to link the current refugee situation from Syria climate. So that arguement falls flat.
As for you attempt to get censorship and oppression of free speech by calling it “hate speech” , this is the last place you are likely find that BS will work.
There was nothing “hateful” in the comment you refer to. Not all but the vast majority of the refugees/migrants are Muslim. The FACT that millions of people have have been crossing from north Africa into Europe on illegal crossing and making illegal entry into southern european countries, is perfectly accurately described as an invasion, without that being “hateful”. It is a FACT. That it is a real problem presenting real dangers rather than hypothetical dangers of the FAKE climate “emergency” is also a FACT.
As usual leftwingnuts prefer to ignore FACTS and stifle opposing thought by censorship.
Problems that cannot be discussed, can never be solved.
The Left use the term ‘hate speech’ as a political weapon and to shutdown discussions of topics that they cannot win using logic.
The comment is not hateful and it confuses the real issue which is our country has limited ability to create new jobs so there is a practical limit to legal immigration.
There is no worry in any Western Country concerning citizens who are of the Muslin faith, excluding the tiny number of Muslin extremists.
People of faith including Muslins, are all most all conservative, and conservatives are hardworking, pay taxes, and do not break the laws of our countries.
Open borders will not work because there are hundreds of millions of people who live in corrupt, dysfunctional countries who would rush the border
Corrupt, dysfunctional countries (almost all of Africa) are a problem that throwing aid money at has not help and will not help.
William YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM.
Rread or listen to the book THE STRANGE DEATH OF EUROPE and then you will understand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwMH6uwpSTI
Your anti-Muslim hate speech doesn’t belong on a site about climate change. I ask the Moderator to remove it.
Add to field notes — sighted the rare (on this site) bona fide Forked-Tongue Politically-Correct Anti-Justice Warrior! Heard his virtue-signal song & it included the proper PC sounds — anti-Muslim, hate speech, doesn’t belong, climate change, remove it!!!!!
Your anti European hate speech doesn’t belong on a site about climate change….I’ve asked the moderator to remove it……
Bottom line your charge is silly…..focus and move on
[it isn’t hate speech by any definition – comments stays -mod]
Far from being concerned, some so-called social justice warriors are getting into bed with Islam. It will end in tears of course.
That’s going to go down well.
Issuing a direct challenge to The Metropolitan Police.
Boris bought water canon vehicles and was ridiculed. The current Mayor Khan sold them.
I wonder if the Met. can hire them, by the gallon.
Lets hope so.
Indeed.
The new Home Secretary, Priti Patel, appears to be a ‘hanger and flogger’ of the old school.
A welcome change.
I can’t remember her predecessor (of Tuesday!) – but the one before was Theresa May.
I am sure that, with appropriate leadership – I’m looking now at Commissioner Cressida Dick [her actual name; I am not being offensive] – the Met could, and would, remove ten – or twenty – thousand communist agitators from circulation for a couple of days.
Plainly these ER types aspire to be treated as minor-league terrorists.
So be it.
Auto
It is foolish to call everyone you disagree with “terrorists”. ER crew are stupid, ignorant and annoying. Their actions are highly disruptive, but they are not “terrorising” anyone by blocking bridges.
No, Greg. The ER brigades put the public safety at risk. Just think if you had to go up a tower to get a fool down. Just think if your child was having a medical emergency and some fool blocked your ambulance.
I visited London’s Waterloo Bridge when these immature little twits were blocking it. I witnessed ambulances and public transport being turned away from getting across the bridge. Their actions were selfish, irresponsible, and dangerous. If your child was close to death and the ambulance was unable to arrive, you’d regard their actions as akin to terrorism.
Additionally, vital police resources were called in to deal with these childish muppets. London has a rising rate of knife crime and instead of being able to deal with tackling this, the police had to waste time dragging these idiots off the bridge.
HAHAHA oh sweet baby jesus… not Knife crime
Greg – If ER threaten Heathrow Airport and the lives of innocent people by flying drones in restricted airspace they are a domestic terrorist organization and should be treated as one, end of story. After all its the stupid & ignorant that join terrorist organizations like ISIS is it not so whats the difference.
Unfortunately Cressida Dick the Met Police commissioner is part of the problem. She has no personality and relies completely on Political Correctness to save her from valid criticism.
It is what you end up with, when you appoint a tiny gay police woman whose only achievement prior to running the Met was to authorise the shooting in the head of an innocent man sat quietly on a tube train seat at Stockwell Station in London. He was killed on order from C Dick, simply because he looked a bit foreign…
Charles DeMenezes, we will never forget you, or let Cressida Dick forget what she did either,
How is BS for a comment? These ridiculous climate activists have to be stopped. Their agenda is not climate change at all it their way to try Change the Economy to Socialism where most of them don’t have to do anything while the rest of us do all the commerce and they benefit while they drink tea and rot away – like all lazy people
If they win, they are first to go to the wall and shot down. Useful idiots die first, because their job is done. Look Yuri Bezmenow from youtube.
You are very correct. Every revolution has romantic believers, and a few sociopathic and psychopathic thugs masquerading as the former. As soon as the revolution gains power, the thugs first kill off potential rivals for power, then the snowflakes who really believed the revolution was “for justice and the people”. The new boss kills enough to cower the remainder and a few more just for fun. The revolution is then always just a few years, and a few thousand executions away from the promised utopia
Just let the members of the public, that their actions are inconveniencing, shift them. Wouldn’t take long for them to get the message.
Lol, that would be chaotic and probably a three day street brawl, but I suspect they wouldn’t like to do it again.
I think turning up with some bulldozers would sort it.
Multiple heavy jail terms are needed for these climate clowns, in particular for ‘leaders’ who’re clearly implying that ER activists are somehow beyond the reach of the law.
They need to learn in no uncertain terms that they are not.
If they could get 10,000 people to turn up then they might have a point, but they can’t and once the police have kettled them for a few hours they will be desperate to go back home to Hampstead.
The Singapore treatment. Yesterday if possible.
They are an organized crime syndicate, and domestic terrorists. Be proactive. Arrest the organizers now, since they have vowed to commit crimes, and have a prior history of criminality.
Correct. UK doesn’t have RICO or similar (afaik) but you’re absolutely right. Like Antifa they need proscribing.
CheshireRed
We have sufficient laws to deal with these people, even without arresting them.
What they invariably forget is that their future employment is determined on them not having a criminal conviction. And whilst we might write them all off as hippies without a future anyway, most of the participants are WOKE members of the public with respectable jobs, living in respectable communities advocating for a cause they don’t conform to anyway.
They also forget that, whilst they imagine several thousand police officers form the Metropolitan police area can’t all be diverted to deal with them, there are tens of thousands of officers who can be shipped in, and have been shipped in, from around the country to deal with situations.
It is a fact, however, that XR have not been able to muster more than a few hundred protesters to any event so far, so threatening 10,000+ is beyond ridiculous.
They have hitherto been tolerated by the Met. but attitudes are changing, as one might expect. Various senior officers are now fearful of not only the public backlash to XR’s activities, but police budgets are already under pressure without the addition of XR. Public opinion in London may be sympathetic (it is the WOKE capital of the world at the moment) but when it impinges on peoples ability to go about their day to day activities, WOKE takes a back seat.
XR are digging their own grave. They are stupid enough to believe their own publicity, but they will be stopped. Their natural recourse to to activism will be the same old worn route, after failed street demonstrations they will start targeting individual sites, like power stations, climbing towers to spray graffiti etc. at which point they are easy targets for the police.
They imagine all this is new to the Metropolitan Police, but there are virtual handbooks now circulating amongst senior police officers and politicians on how to deal with these reprobates.
Coppers have been dealing with crap like this since before the early days of CND and the blockade of Faslane Naval Base in Scotland in the 60/70’s by scruffy, smelly hippies with their appalling camp brats in tow.
Please XR, taunt the Metropolitan police more, we can all enjoy you lighting the thin blue line touchpaper.
“HotScot July 28, 2019 at 2:02 pm
We have sufficient laws to deal with these people, even without arresting them.”
But not enforced!
“Coppers have been dealing with crap like this since before the early days of CND and the blockade of Faslane Naval Base in Scotland in the 60/70’s by scruffy, smelly hippies with their appalling camp brats in tow.”
And Greenham Common. I had human waste thrown at my vehicle while driving past those camps. Great example for kids.
Still convinced that the MI5/6 brigade had fully infiltrated CND! The protest marches to Aldermaston, the AWRE (Atomic Weapons Research Establishment), was where they designed the bombs & ancilliary stuff, but just down the road was ROF (Royal Ordnance Factory) Burghfield, where they made them! No protests there!
Read them the Riot Act.
Then when they don’t immediately disperse, open up with water cannon. I’d suggest using those nasty sound weapons, but I’m not sure horses like them and mounted police are a very effective method of crowd control. Especially when dealing with a bunch of urbanites who’ve never been up close to a real live horse.
In Canada the Riot Act (which I assume is a copy of the British one at the time of Confederation) mandates that in a “tumultuous” unlawful assembly of 12 or more persons, a designated authority Judge, Justice of the Peace, Mayor, or Sheriff may read a proclamation stating “Her Majesty the Queen charges and commands all persons being assembled immediately to disperse and peaceably to depart to their habitations or to their lawful business upon the pain of being guilty of an offence for which, upon conviction, they may be sentenced to imprisonment for life. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN”.
“Police said they had been forced to divert officers from tackling crime and policing neighbourhoods to deal with April’s protests”…..
So, in other words, these idiots are putting OTHER peoples lives in danger….
There are the Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests. There are so many protestors and they are so resolute that the government and police aren’t sure what to do.
On the other hand there were the 2010 G20 Toronto summit protests where the cops were willing to illegally arrest hundreds of people.
And then there were the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
The number of protesters clearly matters. What happens if the police kill a bunch of people matters. All kinds of things matter. If I were a protester, I wouldn’t take anything for granted. Who says the cops can’t deal with 10,000 protesters.
Perhaps not arrested, but beaten senseless. Although that would not take much effort.
A single Chuck Norris could do the job in an afternoon without raising a sweat. Give the man a holiday in London that weekend, and a light workout.
Remember the true cause of anthropogenic global warming: Chuck Norris was cold so he turned the sun up.
+ one Chuck.
So should yellow vests protests be treated the same way?
…neither would it make much difference
‘Extinction Rebellion’
Correct name, but fighting the wrong cause. What a tragedy.
One only need arrest the leaders. Less than 100 people.
No need to arrest unless peeing in public. Just use water cannons. Don’t mind using clean water. Seawater, ice cold, will do the trick in a few minutes. It’s important not to hurt them, just make their existence very inconvenient.
“YUP”, arrest their leaders for “terrorist activity” plotting and civil disobedience, … order them jailed, … no visitors except their Lawyer, … schedule their Court date for 6 months hence ….. and set their “bond” at $15,000 cash only.
The leaders will quickly find out how many “rich” friends they really have that “put um up” but won’t “back um up”.
And then charge them with conspiracy, mob action, mopery with intent…………….
In UK we can, more or less, permanently put someone out of action by jailing them for breech of bail conditions, and contempt of court. So you arrest them on conspiracy to commit crime. Don’t jail them but impose severe bail restrictions. Jail them when they’re in contempt of court. I’m only describing how UK establishment would do it if they cared.
The reason they are not in in jail is UK establishment agree with them. Our leaders are contemptuous of the masses.
Could we persuade them to ‘move’ on Area 51 in September instead?
Tear gas, lots of it, and water canons should do the trick. Don’t mollycoddle them. They are essentially terrorists, who must be stopped.
So are yellow vests the same? Same tactics just different agenda one you like one you don’t.
So be consistent they are different sides of the same coin … so which are they?
Yeah for my side; screw yours.
Mr Rupert Read is just an ordinary run of the mill anarchist. But he overlooks something. If there’s not enough police to control them then there’s not enough police to protect them. And those at the receiving end of the anarchists’ idiotic protests will take matters in their own hands. It will be ugly but no doubt about the outcome.
As someone once put it: “the bourgeoisie is guilty!” shouts the anarchist. “Perhaps” says the citizen “but why should the anarchist be innocent?” And shoots him.
“Mr Rupert Read”
“Mr”?? – You forget that he’s a “Doctor” (of philosophy), a title the UK media normally uses when introducing him. He often refers to his “colleagues” at the UEA as if this gives his ludicrous views an aura of authority…
All the protesters use fossil fuels every day, and should be reminded of that during any protests, the HYPOCRITES.
Allow me to order up a prediction.
The protesters will carefully avoid causing inconvenience to those in the muslim No-Go zones.
Otherwise, the authorities will do nothing. They are weak and spineless.
Great Britain was great at one time. Now, England gets what it deserves.
This is a site about the climate, there is no need for racist idiocy, thank you very much.
No, this is a blog, and an article was posted on this topic.
Just where do you see any evidence of “racist idiocy”?
Are Muslims a race?
How is pointing out that these protestors will avoid those areas in any way offensive to anyone?
What the bloody ‘ell are you talking about?
Islam is a RACE? Just goes to show, you learn something every day. Thank you for doing for anthropology what extinction rebellion is doing for climatology!
Wasn’t “racist” or idiotic. Lighten up Francis.
RACIST! YOU RACIST!
Rayyyycissss!!!!!!!
Oh Boo Hoo.
You neglected to call me a Nazi.
Is it Rayyyciss to note that the mayor of London is a muslim, and may take a dim view of the protests?
Yes, this site is about climate, but the comments you deem inappropriate concern the misuse of ‘climate’ data (even if false) and the manipulation of public opinion to gain power and influence. The climate connection is third hand, but still strong enough not to be flagged. And they might well be racist, but then again possibly might not, depending on the attitude of the poster.
thank you very much…..
…so you don’t know what Fusion GPS was either
Let me get this straight, talking about things you would prefer remain in the dark is racist idiocy.
Trevor, remind me: since when did Islam become a race?
I rather think it is you who is exposing his own racism, by making your assumption that only brown people are Muslims. Come to London, and you’ll see Muslims of every hue (although it’s hard to tell with some of the women, as the men have forced them to wrap up in black cloaks akin to bin bags)
‘This is a site about the climate, there is no need for racist idiocy, thank you very much.’
Then you shouldn’t pull THIS bullshit.
Criticism of ideology and the favoritism provided thereof is perfectly valid.
Would have been better if Boris Johnson had declared climate hysteria is a fraud rather than saying he will tackle CO2 and climate change – he’s encouraged them with this foolish comment
Where are his water cannon now?
Why use water cannons?
Just ignore the “rebellion” until nightfall …… and then shut off all electricity, water and electronic communications in the locale they chose to do their protesting.
By the time the Sun rises in the morning they might be thinking a little different about their future.
Give them a “hard n’ fast” lesson on what their life would be like without fossil fuels and capitalistic manufactured necessities.
Like my wife says, ….. “If they don’t want to listen, …. they will just have to feel.”
Their aim is to stop, or interfere with Brexit.
ah yes Oct is the deadline…convenient indeedy
10,000 Fanatics make problems. Fanatics do not help solve any problem.
Fanatics are incapable of critical thought which explains why they fanatically believe in their cause and ignore in your face reality such as the spending on green scams has and will practically change nothing.
Definition of a ‘Fanatic’ : a person exhibiting excessive enthusiasm and intense uncritical devotion toward some controversial matter (as in religion or politics)a religious fanatic [=extremist]The fanatics are convinced they are serving a righteous cause and that all means are justified …— Flora Lewis
U.K. Population (LIVE)
66,988,174
I see there may be the start of sensible, logic thinking in the UK.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/07/25/boriss-brexit-cabinet-is-achingly-sound/
An interesting test. The authorities have been warned. How will they prepare? Do they really care about the general public? Will they use force?
“Extinction Rebellion, which has won the backing of scientists, researchers and academics who worry that the official response to climate change is lagging far behind the severity of the crisis”
Cashing in on the imaginary crisis, especially the psychologists.
https://xrblog.org/2018/10/27/the-guardian-press-letter-100-academics-support-extinction-rebellion/
Right you are, ….. Ulric Lyons, ….. me thinks 95% of those 100 academics that signed that letter have no knowledge or formal education in /of the natural sciences, thus one has to assume their objective is solely to preserve their academic status, salaries, patient base and/or grant funding expenditures.
They might be “experts” in the VOO-DOO Sciences, …… but are severely learning disabled in the Natural Sciences.
Extinction Rebellion “spokesperson” Rupert Read is one of those signatories…
And a great civilization continues its slide into obscurity.
If they had arrested enough of them the first time, then the second wouldn’t be a problem.
I’m all for freedom of protest, but we don’t even have a constitutional right of free speech in the UK, never mind a legal freedom to stop other people’s everyday business to earn a living.
Yes!
Mr. Read should look up the real meaning of the term “decimate”.
I’m not suggesting capital punishment, but if one of every ten is arrested, and as suggested, the book is thrown at them, e.g.” incitement to riot” with large bail set, there will be a deterrent, especially among the “protest for hire” crowd.
Use the time between now and the event to identify the leaders, and insure that their location is known during the demonstration. Collecting their quotes in the MSM and social media to back up a charge of incitement wouldn’t hurt either.
This is a critical moment for the London authorities to show if they have the backbone to to keep the city safe.