More than 300 people taking part in a city-wide protest in Bristol next week say they are willing to get arrested, claim organisers who are planning major disruption of roads and occupation of public spaces.
Activist group Extinction Rebellion is hosting a five-day 'occupation' of Bristol. It wants the Government to change its recently-set target for zero carbon emissions from 2050 to 2025.
As part of a country-wide rebellion called Summer Uprising, followers will be holding protests in five cities including Bristol, which is the group’s focus for the South West.
Starting with the five-day occupation of Bristol Bridge on Monday at 10am, organisers expect more than 1,000 people will take part in the action.
On Tuesday, they will occupy College Green in front of the city’s council house before, on Friday, protesting outside the Ministry of Defence in Stoke Gifford.
One of the organisers, a 30-year-old professional musician from Clifton who calls herself Emma, said more than 1,000 people had so far enlisted for the event.
Out of those, more than 300 had said they were willing to be arrested including 100 who say they would be prepared to be jailed as a result of the protests.
“There are radical rebels who want to be arrested,” said Emma.
Aside from the occupation of Bristol Bridge, “affinity groups” of 10 or more people will be carrying out protests across the city centre.
At the London protests in April the groups poured blood on the steps of Downing Street, chained themselves outside Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s home and smashed windows at Shell’s headquarters.
Similar acts could be expected in Bristol next week, Emma said.
She added: “We plan to cause disruption, but with love and being inclusive.”
The city centre’s Castle Park will be used as a campsite by the group, but campers will be discouraged from setting up in the fenced off area where grass has recently been seeded.
Emma promised there will be a three-hour clean-up at the protest’s end on Friday.
At College Green it will be the younger followers who will take over on Tuesday, tying in with a full council meeting where a response willl be given to a motion declaring a climate emergency.
On Wednesday there will be bike rides to at least five polluted areas of the city, while a solution zone for businesses to discuss environmental issues will be in Castle Park.
Emma, who took part in the London protests, said: “It will make people stop in their tracks and take notice. People may be angry with you at first but then they come and have a chat with us and find out what we are about.”
She added: “We are very sorry for the inconvenience but we would like them [people in Bristol] to reflect, especially people with children. A protest is the most effective way to getting the system changed.”
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