Extinction Rebellion start a week-long protest in Bristol today (June 22) - with an "eye-catching art installation" on College Green.
The city branch of the group started the demonstration last night with a letter nailed to the door of Bristol’s City Hall, calling for 'air quality compliance' by April next year.
And this morning, an eye-catching art installation of fifty 1m-high aluminium cubes went up on College Green, decorated with wildlife and ecology images and spelling out the “CLEAN AIR FOR LIFE” message.
It was originally unveiled outside Tate Britain in London during the October 2019 climate crisis protests in the capital.
It will remain in place until the end of the day.
The art, called Message Cubes, will reappear at another city location later in the week.
Another event is also planned by Extinction Rebellion Bristol today, with a message due to appear for a short time on Bristol Bridge in the heart of the city.
The display is organised by a well-established Extinction Rebellion campaigning group, the Bristol Evergreens.
It comes almost a year after protesters blocked the bridge as part of a five-day protest in the city.
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Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Dr Emma Geen said: “The amount of pollution in Bristol’s air breaches European legal limits. It drastically affects our health and harms the planet - at a time when public health is more at risk than ever.
“We have a unique opportunity to act now. Life during lockdown showed that air quality CAN improve quickly.
“By nailing our demand to the door we call on Bristol City Council to nail their colours to the mast: do they care enough for the wellbeing of all Bristolians to take the urgent action that’s needed?”
