London police nab 21 climate change activists over their attempt to shut down city

• Police closed Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge as protesters gathered in large numbers.
• Demonstrators also locked themselves into a model of a Trident missile outside the Ministry of Defence.
• Extinction Rebellion group said the protesters gathered at 11 locations in Westminster which it aimed to shut down.

(Karachi) London police arrested 21 people on Monday as activists of “Extinction Rebellion” begin their attempt to shut down Central London for two weeks, local media reported.

In view of the deteriorating law and order situation, the police closed two main bridges to traffic, the Lambeth Bridge and Westminster Bridge. The protesters have gathered at 11 locations in Westminster the Extinction Rebellion group said it will shut down.

Police were filmed dragging one protester out of a car and tackling Extinction Rebellion members on Lambeth Bridge. Demonstrators also locked themselves into a model of a Trident missile outside the Ministry of Defence.

Similarly, protests were also reported in Germany, Australia and other countries where demonstrators blocked roads and shouted slogans against the respective governments.

The agenda

This month’s protest will be five times bigger than April's demonstrations, which caused chaos across the capital, Extinction Rebellion said.

The targeted locations include various government departments, including the Downing Street and Trafalgar Square.

Extinction Rebellion says governments are running out of time to take action on climate change. The group points to successive warnings issued by the United Nations and climate scientists that suggest there may be just several years or less to make political decisions about carbon

Extinction Rebellion said it could hear "history calling to us from the future".

"We catch glimpses of a new world of love, respect and regeneration, where we have restored the intricate web of all life," it said in a statement.

"It’s a future that’s inside us all, and so we rise in the name of truth and withdraw our consent for ecocide, oppression and patriarchy. We rise up for a world where power is shared for regeneration, repair and reconciliation. We rise for love in its ultimate wisdom."