Extinction Rebellion protests – live: Activist dressed as Boris Johnson scales Big Ben scaffolding as protesters spray paint government buildings

Protester unfurls rainbow-coloured Extinction Rebellion banner 

Photos show the activist unfurling a rainbow-coloured Extinction Rebellion banner on the scaffolding of Big Ben. 

(PA)

(PA) 

Across the water from the palace of Westminster, an Extinction Rebellion boat has taken to the water.

Pink vessels have been an element of protest action since the group occupied Oxford Street in 2018 - when a luminous boat was left land locked on the street's main crossroads.

Footage from the scene showed protesters chanting "Whose rivers? Our rivers." with a police boat close behind them.

Extinction Rebellion London’s twitter account has issued a lengthy comment on the protestor climbing the houses of parliament – saying that he “faces terrorism charges” while adding “Desperation drives you to all sorts and each person decides for themselves what to do”

The man, who has been identified by the group as Ben Atkinson, a tree surgeon, prompted the closure of several entrances to parliament as police brought in specialists to bring him down.  

It is currently unclear if the man has yet been arrested or charged with any specific crime.

The group’s tweets said:

This rebel is desperate. The government is not listening, not telling the truth, not acting to protect us in the face of calamity. He faces terrorism charges. He faces jail. This is an emergency & is there is barely any time to do anything to mitigate it.

Can you imagine what it is like to know that we have lost 60% of wildlife since 1970, that 97% of meadows are gone, that the weather our crops depend on is distorting - they won't grow in years to come? The government obsesses over short term issues amid the 6th mass extinction.

Desperation drives you to all sorts & each person decides for themselves what to do. #ExtinctionRebellion is a community that supports, loves, celebrates, calms people down in times of stress.This is a regenerative community of people confronting humankind's greatest threat.

To all the deniers, delayers, trolls & troublemakers - the challenge to you now to get serious, this is an emergency! We are hypocrites, we are attention seekers, we are making a difference against all the odds. We are brave in your abuse, this is for life, this is for you.

Extinction Rebellion has issued an apology to Londoners following the disruption caused to commuters - and the controversial decision to target transport hubs in the east of the city.

The group's decision to halt train networks in Newham - a move that led to some activists being pulled from the tops of tube trains by angry locals - led to criticism that the group had overlooked the impact of their protests on working class communities.

Now in a statement titled "The second album was never going to be easy", the group have apologised to city residents, saying "We don’t do this out of malice, we do it because we are scared and we care. For many of us, this is our home, and we love it too".

Commenting on the final day of protests, they added:

Today gives us an opportunity to reflect on the raw journey we’ve taken together – both as a movement as well as with the wider public. 

The events make clear that everyday lives and the climate and ecological emergency are both important. 

As we saw from yesterday in Canning Town, Shadwell and Stratford it is clear we need to learn how to better bridge that gap.

We don’t always get it right. 

We know on this journey we will and do make mistakes. Like everyone else, we are all imperfectly perfect human beings who are just as much a part of a system destroying the planet as anyone else.

We know we do things that cause disruption to everyday people’s lives – to make concrete the existential threat we all face – and they are rightly angry when we do this. But many of us are also scared for the future of the planet which we hold so dear.

We still have not brought everyone with us on the issue of the Climate and Ecological Emergency. 

Many of the same voices who are marginalised and excluded in society do not see Extinction Rebellion as their movement. 

Many are just so worried about just getting by – to them our message seems and is irrelevant. They can no more contemplate or risk arrest than they can take two weeks off work.

Now is the time to make a concerted effort to listen. Whether or not people choose to decide to join us. We don’t wish to force anyone to join Extinction Rebellion. We do care that people find their role and voice in what is to come, with whatever group or in whatever way that is right for them. 

A few more details from the latest XR statement:

• More than 30,000 people attended the London protests over the two week period according to organisers

• More than 3,000 people have been arrested worldwide over the two weeks - meaning London arrests have made up around half of the total.

• The group hit out at the police response, saying that "many of the visual aspects and therefore the joy of the planned rebellion were not possible" due to confiscations and escalating legal orders

Crowds have gathered for the end of the two weeks of protests at a ceremony in Trafalgar Square.

The "transition ceremony" marks the final note in a mass protest that has led to more than 1,700 arrests across the capital.

However away from the bright banners and flags of activists, the tone from organisers is conciliatory as much as it is celebratory.

And that's it - the Extinction Rebellion protests have ended after two weeks of direct action.

More than 1,700 people have been arrested over the course of the protests while 30,000 people are reported to have taken part.

In a final losing ceremony, activists were told to prepare disruption in their own local areas - with a warning to the government that protests in the capital would return in April unless climate change was properly addressed by Westminster.

Meanwhile while the majority of protesters leave the scene, the activist who climbed Big Ben' tower is no longer visible on the outer scaffolding, according to witnesses.

Mr Atkinson, the 43-year-old tree surgeon who scaled the building, is believed to have gone inside the structure after being on the scaffolding for over two hours without a harness.

Police negotiators are thought to have climbed up and are in the process of bringing him to the ground.

There is a significant police presence in the area.

That's all from us at The Independent - thanks for following.