In Pictures: Mothers bring babies as Extinction Rebellion highlights climate plight on children
Stanley Johnson defends the prime minister's comments labelling protesters 'uncooperative crusties' and encourages them to wear the label with pride
Mothers and babies were the focus of Wednesday’s activities as the Extinction Rebellion protests continued in central London.
Climate campaigners are engaged in two weeks of activity intended to focus attention on climate change and what they say is the unwillingness of politicians to address it.
Protesters have already shut down bridges and glued themselves to Government buildings but Wednesday has a special focus on future generations.
Some mothers pointed out that their children were the most likely to be affected by climate change.
Who are Extinction Rebellion?
Following the group's first demonstration last year on October 31, the climate change activists have courted headlines both in the UK and abroad, and have also recruited a number of high-profile supporters.
Activists headed back to the streets in a bid to bring Westminster to a halt in October, six months after mass demonstrations brought major disruption to London and saw more than 1,100 arrests.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) 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.
“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.
XR uses what is calls “non-violent civil disobedience” as the world has “run out of the luxury of time to react incrementally”.
Examples include blocking busy roads and bridges, spray-painting government buildings and activists chaining and gluing themselves to buildings including the gates of Buckingham Palace.