Extinction Rebellion is planning a fortnight of protests focused on London’s financial district, which the group says is helping to fuel climate change.
Activists said they would start the “disruptive” campaign, targeting the City of London ,from Monday and expect thousands of XR members to take part.
The “Impossible Rebellion” will involve site occupations and marches through the financial district.
“We’ll be targeting the City of London because it’s time that people understand the real contribution of the UK to this crisis,” lawyer and XR activist Tim Crosland said.
“The City of London is the arch financier of the carbon economy. It supports 15 per cent of global carbon emissions.
“It hosts BP, Shell, Glencore, Anglo American, and Russian oil and gas companies such as Gazprom and Rosneft.”
The group has regularly staged demonstrations across Britain targeting banks, financial institutions, energy firms and media organisations.
Last year dozens of demonstrators were arrested when they descended on Parliament Square to demand government action on the climate crisis.
Topless protesters chained themselves to the gates of the Houses of Parliament on the last of 10 days of civil disobedience.
In 2019 XR members caused days of traffic chaos in the capital in protest of organisations contributing to climate change.
The group brought much of central London to a standstill during 11 days of action, which provoked criticism from some politicians who said police had been too tolerant.
The group declined to give any details of it targets for its most recent demonstrations, but said there were no plans to disrupt public transport.
However, the action will coincide with a planned strike by a rail unions next week, which TfL has said could cause major disruption.
Extinction Rebellion wants an emergency response from governments and a mass move away from polluting industries to avert the climate devastation outlined by scientists.
A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) earlier this month warned global warming was dangerously close to spiralling out of control, with UN Secretary-General António Guterres calling it a “code red for humanity”.
The UK is due to host the United Nations COP26 climate conference later this year, which will try to wring more ambitious climate action from governments and the money to fund it
