Berlin - Hundreds of climate change protesters were detained by
police in major cities around the world on Monday, which activist
group Extinction Rebellion said was the first day of a two-week-long
campaign.
Many of the protests targeted major road junctions near government
offices, in disruption that was tolerated to varying degrees by
police in different countries.
In London, police had already taken action against Extinction
Rebellion, often referred to as XR, even before Monday's protests
began. Ten people were arrested and equipment was seized from a
warehouse used by the group on the weekend.
Metropolitan police arrested 135 people in various parts of the
capital on Monday as thousands of activists blocked several main
roads and at least one bridge.
"People are rebelling in these numbers because they realize the time
to address this is right now, not in 2050, or even 2025," Extinction
Rebellion UK tweeted, referring to "net zero" climate emissions
pledges by some governments.
In the German capital Berlin, Extinction Rebellion protesters blocked
Potsdamer Platz, a large square in the centre of the city, setting up
flower pots, sofas, tables and chairs on the major intersection.
According to police, some 300 demonstrators answered a call for a
two-hour protest to be held from noon on the square.
A crowd of protesters had earlier set out from German Chancellor
Angela Merkel's office and decamped to a major intersection in the
city's Tiergarten park, where police put the numbers at some 1,000.
Berlin Senator for the Interior Andreas Geisel said that the
authorities would monitor the gatherings and allow them leeway for a
time. But he warned that the authorities would react if violence was
used or critical infrastructure, such as airports, was affected.
Police in the Dutch capital Amsterdam detained about 50 people who
had refused to leave a roadblock they had set up on a main
thoroughfare in the city centre. The roadblock was dismantled.
The police operation to remove the protesters appeared peaceful,
according to local media.
Earlier on Monday, XR held a protest in the New Zealand capital
Wellington, which saw more than 30 members arrested. Hundreds blocked
central roads, ministries and stormed a bank branch in the city.
Hundreds of climate demonstrators also blocked roads in Australian
cities to mark the start of their protest. In Sydney police said 30
protesters were arrested for refusing police orders to clear a road
near Central Station.
The group said it would carry out actions in 60 cities worldwide, and
tweeted pictures from smaller gatherings in France, Bulgaria,
Hungary, Austria and Ireland.