Climate activists say 'let's talk' to British PM Johnson after 'uncooperative crusties' comment
Record ID:
1435687
Climate activists say 'let's talk' to British PM Johnson after 'uncooperative crusties' comment
- Title: Climate activists say 'let's talk' to British PM Johnson after 'uncooperative crusties' comment
- Date: 8th October 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (OCTOBER 8, 2019) (REUTERS) TENTS AND BANNERS SET UP BY CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISTS ON WHITEHALL DOWNING STREET SIGN / BANNERS AND TENTS OUTSIDE 10 DOWNING STREET'S GATE ACTIVISTS WRITING BANNER FOR BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON READING (English): 'DEAR BORIS, WE'D BE EGG-STATIC TO MEET YOU, NO EGGS HERE!' DETAIL OF BANNER READING (English): 'CRUSTIES' (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST FROM BRIGHTON, CLAUDIA FISHER, 57, SAYING: "We're very cooperative when it comes to talking to people, we are a bit crusty, I have to say, but you know I don't normally sleep on a road at night time, in the rain, but other than that we're not crusties at all and we're also really cooperative." POLICE TALKING TO PROTESTER BANNER READING (English): 'DEAR BORIS, WE'D BE EGG-STATIC TO MEET YOU, NO EGGS HERE! A) WE ARE MOSTLY VEGAN B) EGGING WOULD BE WASTEFUL C) WE ARE ALWAYS NON-VIOLENT D) LET'S TALK ABOUT THE CLIMATE CRISIS, LOVE THE (UN) COOPERATIVE CRUSTIES' VARIOUS OF ACTIVIST BRUSHING TEETH ACTIVIST PUTTING ON COAT (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST FROM SUSSEX, DIANA JONES, SAYING: "It's not helpful, we're just ordinary people I've just come from Sussex, I don't live in London, I'm just planning to kind of come and go and support the movement however I can but we're just ordinary people trying to express our deep disappointment with how slow the process of getting climate change action to occur is taking place with the government not really listening, not taking it forward on the scale it needs to be taken." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST FROM BRIGHTON, BETH O'LEARY, 41, SAYING: "Well I definitely had a shower this morning and I've got clean pants on so I don't think I'm a crusty." ACTIVIST ROLLING UP SLEEPING BAG ACTIVIST EATING BREAKFAST (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST FROM BRIGHTON, BETH O'LEARY, 41, SAYING: "It is my birthday, I'm really pleased to be here with all these amazing people, and yeah it's incredible that they've put all this on for little old me - but no on a serious point I think it's really important that we use our time to highlight the climate emergency and the government's inaction." VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS BY TENTS EXTINCTION REBELLION FLAGS / TENTS SET UP ON WHITEHALL
- Embargoed: 22nd October 2019 10:01
- Keywords: Downing Street camp Extinction Rebellion protesters climate activists Whitehall climate change Boris Johnson crusties
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B08LRUV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Climate change activists said "let's talk" to Boris Johnson on Tuesday (October 8), after reports that the British Prime Minister labelled them as "uncooperative crusties".
Protesters set up tents on Monday (October 7) and camped overnight in several London locations, including Whitehall near Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, as part of two weeks of peaceful civil disobedience to demand immediate action to cut carbon emissions and avert an ecological disaster.
The protests are the latest stage in a global campaign for tougher and swifter steps against climate change coordinated by Extinction Rebellion, which rose to prominence in April when it snarled traffic in central London for 11 days.
Local media reported that Johnson called the demonstrators "uncooperative crusties" at a book launch on Monday evening.
"I am afraid that the security people didn't want me to come along tonight because they said the road was full of uncooperative crusties and protesters of all kinds littering the road," he reportedly said, adding: "They said there was some risk that I would be egged."
Activist Claudia Fisher, 57, spent her morning designing a banner for the Prime Minister on Tuesday, asking him to "talk about the climate crisis".
"We are a bit crusty I have to say but you know I don't normally sleep on a road at night time in the rain but other than that we're not crusties at all and we're also really cooperative," she said.
"It's not very helpful. We're just ordinary people trying to express our deep disappointment with how slow the process of getting climate change action to occur is taking place with the government not really listening," activist Diana Jones said in response to Johnson's comments.
"Well I definitely had a shower this morning and I've got clean pants on so I don't think I'm a crusty" said protester Beth O'Leary, who was celebrating her 41st birthday.
(Production: Ben Makori, Helena Williams) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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