Buckingham Palace memorial vandalised amid London protests
26 August 2021, 14:37 | Updated: 11 September 2021, 11:28
The Victoria Memorial, which stands in front of Buckingham Palace, has been vandalised amidst protests in Central London.
Activists for Animal Rebellion have vandalised the Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace.
One activist sprayed red paint on the monument while brandishing a sign which said: "Hunting: A Royal Bloodbath".
Animal Rebellion describe themselves as a "sister movement" of Extinction Rebellion.
A number of activists have vandalised the Victoria Memorial water feature outside Buckingham Palace.
— Metropolitan Police Events (@MetPoliceEvents) August 26, 2021
We are on scene and arrests have been made. The suspects are being taken to custody.
Meanwhile, in an action they called “Stop the Harm”, branches of the organisation Extinction Rebellion, XR Roads Rebellion, HS2 Rebellion and Paid to Pollute united in a protest through central London.
The protestors marched from Hyde Park Corner to the headquarters of the Department of Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and will continue to the Department of Transport (DfT).
Upon reaching the headquarters of the BEIS, protestors sat on the ground across Victoria Street, blocking it from traffic. The group had earlier caused traffic disruption at Hyde Park Corner.
They reportedly carried large, complex car-shaped structures, Boris the Bank Engine, and a white elephant. A group of protestors dressed in doctors' scrubs carried a giant model earth on a stretcher.
Members of the group and environmentalists such as Rupert Read, an academic and Green Party campaigner, gave speeches in front of the BEIS headquarters.
Read more: Hundreds of XR protesters block Oxford Circus as some 'glue themselves to structure'
Read more: XR co-founder: Westminster 'doesn't seem capable' of tackling climate change
The group’s website says that the march is a united action against the "state that’s killing our Earth".
A press release adds: "We have no time left; We must stop the harm and immediately stop all new fossil fuel investments.
"Our UK government and banking system have set a net zero by 2050 commitment and treats that as a license to continue with fossil fuel financing business as usual this should, and will, be seen as "greenwashing". 2050 is too late."
“Enough ecological devastation, droughts, floods and storms. Enough government failure. Enough vanity projects. Enough short term profit for the few. Rebel for Life.”
Read more: Extinction Rebellion: 40 more arrests made on day two of protests
The marchers demanded that HS2 be cancelled, as well as the government’s Road Investment Scheme 2 (RIS2). The protestors also demanded the creation of "secure jobs" within the renewable energy industry and the prioritisation of "climate breakdown mitigation."
Following the march, campaigners will stage a mass die-in outside the BEIS and DfT. A group of children will hand a list of demands to both government departments.
Today marks the fourth day of Extinction Rebellion's two-week campaign. So far, they have blocked Oxford Circus, set up a giant table in Covent Garden and held several similar marches.
Next week it is expected that focus will shift towards London's financial hub.
