Extinction Rebellion used a a 14-tonne diesel lorry with a 6.7 litre engine to host one of its protest events in London yesterday, GB News can reveal.
The large vehicle was used by the group to stage one of their demonstrations as part of four days of action taking place across the capital this month.
Records of the lorry on the Gov.UK website indicate that the vehicle has a 2017 registered diesel engine.
The gas-guzzling lorry produces 404 grams of CO2 every mile, with diesel fuel widely considered one of the dirtiest sources of energy in the world.
Activists used the lorry to read out speeches
GB News
Use of the lorry comes despite XR warning on its website that: "Every part of society must act now to reduce greenhouse emissions to net zero by 2025."
Chair of the Net Zero Scrutiny Group of MPs, Craig Mackinlay, said last night: “Extinction rebellion, their activists are do as we say not as we do.
"Now they are organising events using one of the most polluting lorries, if they want us to comply with their new religion it might be a good idea if they where to practise what they preach."
In the face of anger caused by the use the lorry, an Extinction Rebellion spokesman told GB News: "Hypocrisy is not existing in a world that we are trying to change, hypocrisy is declaring a climate emergency, approving a hundred new oil and gas projects, and then going and using a tree for your party-political logo.
The vehicle was registered in 2017 with a diesel engine
GB News
"XR protestors do their utmost to individually save the planet and save its resources, but we need leadership in order to make it happen as anything else is futile."
The Conservative Party has used a tree as part of its official logo since 2006.
There were fears the protests being carried out by XR over the weekend would lead to disruption of the London Marathon.
But leaders of the activist group were eager to avoid damaging their reputation by causing havoc with the major event.
One activist helping police steward the London Marathon has said “there are a handful of naughty people who would like to block the race to protest about the climate situation”.
Michel, 63, who lives in Brussels, Belgium, but travelled to central London for Extinction Rebellion’s four-day protest, is among XR activists stewarding along the marathon route where the race intersects with the climate group’s events outside Parliament Square in Westminster.
He told the PA news agency: “I’m supporting the Extinction Rebellion group and today we are helping the event of the London Marathon as a steward because we would like to stop people from disrupting the race.
“There are a handful of naughty people who would like to block the race to protest about the climate situation.
“We believe a handful of people might want to do an action to block the race to protest that we are not doing anything for the climate and we would like to stop that because we don’t believe it’s necessary.”
Despite not disrupting the marathon, a deadline for Government ministers to respond to XR demands has been set for 5pm today. The group has pledged to step up its campaigns across the country if a satisfactory response is not received.