Extinction Rebellion: Dozens of arrests at London and Amsterdam protests

Extinction Rebellion: Dozens of arrests at London and Amsterdam protests

More than 70 people have been arrested in London and Amsterdam for attempting to block roads at the start of a two-week protest by the Extinction Rebellion environmental group, Euronews reports.

A total of 21 people had been arrested “in connection with the Extinction Rebellion protests” as of 08:00 CET, the UK’s Metropolitan Police said on Twitter.

Extinction Rebellion expected tens of thousands of people to answer its call to protest for two weeks in 60 cities worldwide to demand world leaders take more decisive action to tackle the climate crisis.

In the English capital, it asked people to converge in Westminster — the seat of the UK’s legislative power — and blockade roads. A series of “mass participation direct actions” are also planned in the coming days including a three-day shutdown of City Airport.

More than 1,000 Extinction Rebellion activists were arrested in London in April.

Police in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, also announced on Monday that it had arrested 50 protesters in the city centre for blocking a major street.

Protests are also happening in other major European capitals including Paris, Berlin, Madrid and Rome.