Climate change activists sprayed fake blood (red paint) early Thursday morning at the face of the UK Treasury with a fire truck purchased on eBay in hopes to draw the attention of the government to the “looming climate cataclysm.”
Climate change activists spray red paint at the facade of the British Treasury https://t.co/5FLMwEc2R9 pic.twitter.com/qU6YSmOAYz
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) October 3, 2019
Extinction Rebellion, a protest group, said their activists had sprayed 1,800 liters of fake blood at the building. The activists also sprayed the slogan “Stop funding climate death” on the front of the Treasury. (RELATED: More Than 750 Arrested At Climate Change Protests In London)
In the video, activists spraying the side of the building lose control of the hose on the fire truck and red paint starts flying everywhere; on the steps, in the street, on the fire truck, and all over the activists, including one with a stark white sweater on.
Climate change activists spray red paint at the facade of the British Treasury https://t.co/5FLMwEc2R9 pic.twitter.com/qU6YSmOAYz
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) October 3, 2019
“The red symbolizes the people dying now in the global south and also the people who are going to start dying from climate change all around the world if we do nothing.” Ben, an activist at the event, told Reuters.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 03: A street worker cleans fake blood from outside the Treasury building on October 3, 2019 in London, England. Climate change activists from the group Extinction Rebellion used a fire engine in an attempt to spray the Treasury building. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
The group, Extinction Rebellion, “is a socio-political movement with the stated aim of using civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to compel government action on climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse,” according to their website. Last April they hosted a protest where 1,100 people were arrested.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 03: Police officers help a climate change activist down from a fire truck outside the Treasury building on October 3, 2019 in London, England. Climate change activists from the group Extinction Rebellion used a fire engine in an attempt to spray the Treasury building. (Photo by Peter Summers/Getty Images)
Police said they arrested four people on suspicion of criminal damage and that some roads had been closed. Similar to a protester situation in Washington DC in September, local authorities are puzzled over what to do with the fire engine because the driver reportedly removed the keys. (RELATED: Here Are The Scenes From DC’s Climate Protest)
