A small number of Extinction Rebellion demonstrators held a socially-distanced protest outside outside the Greenwich Council’s headquarters in Woolwich to tell it to “build back better” after the coronavirus emergency has passed.
The 14 demonstrators, with masks and placards, each stood two metres apart on the steps of the Woolwich Centre in Wellington Street for an hour.
A spokesperson said the “silent, socially distanced, symbolic action” would “send a message to the council to build back better in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the climate emergency”.
The group is calling for a national “citizens’ assembly” to address the climate crisis.
“There can be no going back to the way things were. It is normal that is killing us. There has never been a more pressing time to redesign the way we live. If we don’t make the necessary changes now we will be walking from the Covid crisis back into the even bigger climate crisis. We demand that the climate crisis is dealt with as part of the Covid recovery.
“We need to trust the people, decentralise decision-making and give power back to local people. We are standing outside our local council today to send a message to government to say we want to take back decision making power.”
The demonstrators were met by four police officers, who stayed for a few minutes, and three Greenwich Council wardens patrolling the pavement outside the town hall opposite.
Greenwich Council issued a response talking about its work installing bike hangars and its recent widening of pavements in Greenwich town centre.
Protests were held across the country, with a small number arrested in Parliament Square and Hyde Park.
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