Climate activists could be fined if they break law on gatherings, police warn

Climate change demonstrators in London have been told they could be hit with a massive fine if they infringe regulations which outlaw gatherings of more than 30 people.

The Met Police said risk assessments which outline how Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists are keeping the chance of Covid-19 transmission to a minimum “did not meet the required standard”.

Police said XR’s latest round of demonstrations “pose a risk, not only to those involved, but to the wider public and communities of London”.

It comes after Boris Johnson reportedly infringed his own social distancing regulations by going into a packed room with 50 Tory MPs earlier in the week.

In an open letter to XR protesters on Friday, the Met said: “It is your responsibility to check the position and ensure you are not committing an offence by being involved in a large gathering.

“We urge anyone arranging a gathering to inform your local police. We all need to continue to do our part to prevent the spread of the virus.”

The announcement comes after Jeremy Corbyn’s brother Piers was slapped with a £10,000 fine last Sunday for organising an anti-lockdown protest.

The ex-Labour leader 73-year-old brother, who is a climate change denier, arranged a protest in Trafalgar Square involving hundreds of anti-mask and anti-vaccination activists.

While the climate action, which began on 1 September, has so far seen more than 500 arrests.

About 200 of those were linked to a blockade of Lambeth Bridge on Thursday, which shut the route off to traffic.

Earlier in the day, protesters glued themselves to the ground around parliament, while others staged sit-ins at other entrances to the parliamentary estate.

Friday was a quieter day, but on Saturday a procession of activists that set off from Brighton on foot a week ago is due to march the final stretch to parliament.

They have been banned from taking a 20ft model boat named after teenage activist Greta Thunberg to the streets of Westminster.

On Friday Met Police Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolf warned the group not to take The Lightship Greta into an area stretching from Green Park to Lambeth.

She imposed an order under Section 12(3) of the Public Order Act 1986, saying: “I reasonably believe that the procession may result in serious disruption to the life of the community.”

The Lightship Greta features the words “Sound the alarm – Climate Emergency” on its side.

Claudia Fisher, 58, of Extinction Rebellion Brighton, said of the boat: “The voyage of Lightship Greta aims to highlight the journey that many climate refugees are taking right now and many millions more will be forced to undertake.

“More of us will be displaced and have to leave our homes for each degree of heating of our earth.

“As the seawater rises and the fires burn, where would you go? This is a crisis that will impact us all – it is just a matter of time, and time is running out.”

Print runs for government-supporting newspapers such as The Sun, the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail and the Times were thrown into disarray after dozens of XR activists blockaded factory gates into the early hours of Saturday morning.