Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounces Extinction Rebellion as ‘uncooperative crusties’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has denounced Extinction Rebellion protesters as “uncooperative crusties” who must leave London’s streets alone.
Johnson called on activists to leave their “hemp-smelling bivouacs” and stop blocking key London locations, as demonstrators prepare to dig in for two weeks of protests in the capital.
Read more: Map: Where is Extinction Rebellion protesting in London?
Around 30,000 climate change protesters are set to clog up the capital for the second day in a fortnight of action today.
Lambeth Bridge, Westminster Bridge, Parliament Street and Great Smith Street are set to be particularly badly hit.
The Metropolitan Police has so far arrested 280 people in connection with the Extinction Rebellion (XR) disruption.
A man drives a hearse as Extinction Rebellion protesters gather in Trafalgar Square (Getty Images) 
Extinction Rebellion demonstrators protest in Westminster (Getty Images) 
Extinction Rebellion demonstrators protest on Westminster Bridge (Getty Images) 
Extinction Rebellion demonstrators have called for a carbon neutral economy by 2025 (Getty Images) 
XR activists have started a two-week protest in central London (Getty Images) 
Activists managed to enjoy themselves while protesting (Getty Images)
The Prime Minister challenged the protesters at the London launch of the latest volume of ex-Telegraph editor Charles Moore’s Margaret Thatcher biography.
“I am afraid that the security people didn’t want me to come along tonight because they said the road was full of uncooperative crusties and protesters all kinds littering the road,” Johnson said, in quotes reported by the Standard.
“The best thing possible for the education of the denizens of the heaving hemp-smelling bivouacs that now litter Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park would be for them to stop blocking the traffic and buy a copy of Charles’s magnificent book so that they can learn about a true feminist, green and revolutionary who changed the world for the better.”
XR has predicted the next fortnight of action will be five times larger than April’s two-week protest. That disruption resulted in more than 1,000 arrests.
Yesterday’s disruption saw Extinction Rebellion protesters swarm over Trafalgar Square and snarl traffic from major roads nearby like The Strand.
A man bikelocked himself to a hearse driven onto the tourist hotspot, while elsewhere protesters and police struggled for control of Lambeth Bridge and XR protests reached Whitehall.
Extinction Rebellion banged drums and chanted outside Downing Street as they attempted to cause as much disruption as possible.
Read more: In pictures: Extinction Rebellion London protests day one
Last night XR said it would ensure roads were open to emergency services.
“The police advised us to open up Lambeth Bridge for access through Westminster. Instead, we’ve found an easier route along Embankment, so should any MPs needing to access the roads for personal reasons, or emergency vehicles need to get through, they can,” XR said.
“In the case of emergencies, there is a clear protocol in place so that emergency blue lighted vehicles will immediately be given access.”