XR protesters glue themselves to railings inside Science Museum and 'refuse to leave'

29 August 2021, 18:56 | Updated: 29 August 2021, 20:10

Dozens of members of Extinction Rebellion have gathered inside the Science Museum in London and started a procession, with some gluing themselves to the railings inside and refusing to leave.

Some Extinction Rebellion protesters inside the Science Museum are leaving, meaning about 70 people are left inside the foyer.

Five people have put their arms through the railings and glued their hands together so they are not damaging the museum's property.

While six others have deadlocked their necks against the railings.

Some of them are scientists, dressed in lab coats, while others are in clothes with Extinction Rebellion logos.

A large blue van is also blocking the junction in South Kensington causing disruption to traffic, police said.

It has been parked on Cromwell Road, outside the Science Museum, and a man is on top of it holding an Extinction Rebellion banner.

Inside the Science Museum, dozens of protesters are on the floor near the information desk, listening to speeches.

Police and members of the security team at the Science Museum are now encouraging Extinction Rebellion protesters to leave.

However, they have just started singing "Power to the people" and "Shell out" and are refusing to move.

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Olympic sailor Laura Baldwin is taking part in the Extinction Rebellion protest.

She gave a speech to the protesters outlining her reasons for joining the movement in 2019.

She said: "Learning about the dire situation, the dire state of our beautiful planet, broke my heart.

"It filled my heart with dread and fear for my child's future. As a desperately protective mother, I refuse to accept my son's life as collateral damage for the few to continue economic growth, business as usual, as long as mother nature will allow it.

"As well as continuing to apply pressure to the Government, which we must do through non-violent direct action, we need to also dream about how our future world could look."

The protest is one of many under the group's planned two-weeks of action in the capital.

It started last Sunday, with the group holding demonstrations across the city every day this week.

There have been protests and lock-ins in Leicester Square, Covent Garden and outside Buckingham Palace, where the Victoria Memorial was vandalised.

Yesterday, hundreds of Animal Rebellion protesters - which is an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion - descended on Smithfield Market.

They gathered both inside and outside the market in Farringdon, campaigning against animal cruelty.

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People march through London in protest against animal cruelty

They paraded across the city, heading to the Marine Stewardship Council offices in Snow Hill, where they held up a large structure of an octopus and banners which read "Ocean Rebellion" and "MSC sustainable fishing is a lie".

Campaigners then held a sit-in outside the offices and had a moment's silence for aquatic animals.

The group then moved on from the Cargill offices and looped round New Change, near St Paul's Cathedral.

They held signs which read 'meat is murder' and 'live vegan and let live' as they headed to the London offices of food company Unilever.