Londoners faced a fresh wave of chaos and disruption today after activist group Extinction Rebellion embarked on a third day of protests.
The climate change activists said they will continue their protests across London "to highlight the emergency of ecological collapse" until the Government listens to its demands.
So far police have made nearly 300 arrests with around 500,000 people affected by road closures, traffic gridlock and serious disruption to public transport and local businesses.
Here is everything you need to know about the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion.
Who are Extinction Rebellion?
Extinction Rebellion is a protest movement for climate change activists. Formed in the UK in May last year, the group held its first protests in London in October.
The group uses non-violent civil disobedience to campaign on environmental issues such as climate breakdown, biodiversity loss and ecological collapse.
It says climate change threatens all life on Earth and is calling for "radical change in order to minimise the risk of human extinction and ecological collapse" because "our leaders are failing in their duty".
So far demonstrations have taken place across the UK and have included a semi-naked protest in the House of Commons and blocking roads in the capital.
From a grass roots campaign, it has now grown into an international movement with chapters across the world backed by celebrities, academics and writers.
It is calling upon the Government to meet three key points to cease the chaos, which are:
- To “tell the truth” by declaring a climate and ecological emergency.
- To “act now” with means to “halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net by 2025”.
- To create a citizen’s assembly on climate change and ecological justice which would lead Government action.
What does Extinction Rebellion want?
The group says direct action is needed to force governments to act urgently on climate change and wildlife declines and halt a "sixth mass extinction".
It is calling for an ecological emergency to be declared, greenhouse gases to be brought to net zero by 2025, and the creation of a citizens' assembly to lead action on the environment.
XR says the systems propping up "modern consumer-focused lifestyles" will lead to mass water shortages, crop failures, sea level rises and the displacement of millions.
"Only a peaceful planet-wide mobilisation of the scale of the Second World War will give us a chance to avoid the worst-case scenarios," it says.
What are its methods?
XR uses what is calls "non-violent civil disobedience" as the world has "run out of the luxury of time to react incrementally".
Demonstrations include blocking busy roads and bridges and spray-painting government buildings.
Activists have also chained and glued themselves to buildings, including the gates of Buckingham Palace.
A colourful catwalk show took over London's busy Oxford Circus junction earlier this month to highlight the environmental impact of the fashion industry.
Before that, semi-naked activists glued themselves to windows in the public gallery of the House of Commons during a Brexit debate.
On Monday, protesters vandalised Shell's headquarters, gluing themselves to windows and smashing glass revolving doors in a bid to cause more than £6,000 of damage - to enable them to have a jury trial in Crown Court.
A day later, around two dozen protesters occupied the International Criminal Court in the Hague, in the Netherlands, in a bid to have ecocide recognised as an international crime, the group said.
Extinction Rebellion says it wants ecocide, the deliberate destruction of the natural environment, to be listed alongside crimes against humanity, war crimes, genocide and crimes of aggression.
How did it build momentum?
In its first protest on October 31 last year, the group assembled a protest on Parliament Square in London, expecting a "couple of hundred people" - before 1,500 showed up.
The group said: "The energy was contagious! The next few weeks were a whirlwind.
"Six thousand of us converged on London to peacefully block five major bridges across the Thames."
Chapters now exist in dozens of countries including the US, the Solomon Islands, Australia, Spain, South Africa and India, it said.
On April 15 protests in London began, with campaigners saying they will bring the capital to a standstill for up to two weeks.
Activists in at least 80 cities in more than 33 countries will hold similar demonstrations on environmental issues, campaigners said.
