- Title: Climate activists block BBC entrance, say more protesters are heading to London
- Date: 11th October 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (OCTOBER 11, 2019) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF BBC HEADQUARTERS / CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISTS BLOCKING ENTRANCE VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS WITH TAPE OVER MOUTH / ACTIVISTS HOLDING BANNERS READING (English) "NON VIOLENT) ACTIVIST TEARING TAPE ACTIVIST PLACING TAPE OVER MOUTH / TAPE READING (English) "SILENCE IS DEADLY" VARIOUS OF ACTIVISTS BLOCKING ENTERIC TO BBC HEADQUARTERS / POLICE IN BACKGROUND PROTESTER LYING ON THE GROUND HAND GLUED TO GROUND PROTESTERS SITTING ON GROUND WITH HAND GLUED TO GROUND POLICE OFFICERS STANDING OUTSIDE ENTRANCE TO BUILDING HAND GLUED TO DOOR (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST, SAMANTHA LINDA JONES, SAYING: "I'm here because the BBC have a mandate to inform the public and yet they're not talking about the scale and the severity of the emergency. Ecological breakdown is a national security threat on par with World War Two and we need our broadcasters to play the same role in informing, in leading and in mobilising us to decarbonise. I'm here because I work with young people and this is our last chance to act and we need to put pressure on our leaders to do that now." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST, MARK VRIONIDES, SAYING: "We're outside the BBC today at Broadcasting House to protest and to ask the BBC tell the truth, which is one of the Extinction Rebellion's three demands, to ask governments and the media to tell the truth. We believe that to make informed decisions, whether people want to be out here with us, whether people want to be protesting about climate inaction, they need to know exactly what's been going on, they need to know how bad it's getting, the seriousness of the situation and what we're all facing." ACTIVIST BEING TAKEN AWAY BY POLICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVIST, TESSIE HUMBLE, SAYING: "We're 100% committed. As has been said before with these protests, sometimes it takes a generation to be incredible and this has to be our generation. A lot of us are deeply worried about climate change and it's starting to affect a lot of people's mental health, and this is a real place to channel our energy, and people are really ready for this fight. So we're going to have a whole new wave of protesters come down at the weekend and next week people have been planning their annual leave so they can come down in waves. So the energy is going to keep coming and keep flowing." PLACARD READING (English): "REBEL FOR LIFE" ACTIVIST ADDRESSING CROWDS / EXTINCTION REBELLION FLAGS POLICE OFFICER / ACTIVIST ADDRESSING CROWD BANNER READING (English): "FREE PRESS? PROVE IT! MEDIA TELL THE TRUTH!" / BBC LOGO CROWD OF ACTIVISTS SITTING ON GROUND WITH FLAGS AND BANNERS
- Embargoed: 25th October 2019 11:31
- Keywords: BBC protest climate change Extinction Rebellion climate activists protesters climate protesters glued to doors blockade doors
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B0NLMIV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Extinction Rebellion protesters blocked the BBC's headquarters on Friday (October 11), calling on Britain's public service broadcaster to treat climate change with the same gravity as World War Two and tell the public the truth.
The group, which promotes a rebellion against the political, economic and social structure of the modern world to avert the worst devastation outlined by scientists studying climate, is engaged in two weeks of civil disobedience in London.
Holding banners and waving flags a few dozen demonstrators gathered outside of the BBC's main building calling for it take global warming more seriously.
"Ecological breakdown is a national security threat on par with World War Two and we need our broadcasters to play the same role in informing, in leading and in mobilising us to decarbonise," activist Samantha Linda Jones told Reuters.
A BBC spokeswoman said she could not comment on security matters. She refused to comment on the criticism of BBC coverage.
Some activists sat outside the BBC offices and glued their hands to doors after days of similar such action around the city.
Police in London have made more than 1,000 arrests.
Activist Tessie Humble told Reuters a "new wave of protesters" were on their way to London over the weekend to help continue demonstrations into the following week.
Extinction Rebellion wants non-violent civil disobedience to force governments to cut carbon emissions and avert a climate crisis it says will bring starvation and social collapse.
(Production: Ben Makori, Ioana Serrapica, Ben Dangerfield) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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