Extinction Rebellion: 10 days of demonstrations end with topless protests and arrest over Churchill graffiti

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Ten days of Extinction Rebellion protests have drawn to a close in Westminster with topless activists chaining themselves to the fences around parliament and an arrest over the defacing of a statue of Winston Churchill.

At least 648 people were arrested over the course of the action, including a man who was held by officers on suspicion of criminal damage following the daubing of the phrase “is a racist” alongside the statue of the former PM.

Similar graffiti daubed during Black Lives Matter protests earlier in the year prompted anger and the erection of temporary casing to protect the monument.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said: "This appalling vandalism is completely unacceptable. It will be fully investigated and the statue will be cleaned as quickly as possible."

The defacing of the statue came after topless activists attached themselves to the railings outside parliament while holding aloft a banner that read “can’t bare the truth?”

Locking themselves to the metal boundaries to the parliamentary estate with bicycle locks, 30 semi-naked campaigners for the environmental group sat with face marks bearing the figure 4ºC - a reference to the temperature rise required to trigger widespread ecological disaster.

Each also had words painted onto their chests including drought, starvation and wildfires to highlight the anticipated consequences of global warming.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed protesters had dispersed after 7pm, in line with conditions imposed on the event.

Sarah Mintram, a teacher who took part in the action, said: "Now we've got your attention. By neglecting to communicate the consequences of a 4C-world - war, famine, drought, displacement - the Government are failing to protect us."

It comes after home secretary Priti Patel described the activists as "so-called eco-crusaders turned criminals", while pledging to prevent "anarchy on our streets".

Meanwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson criticised their "completely unacceptable" action in blocking the delivery of some of the UK's major newspapers earlier in the week.

Additional reporting by agencies