Extinction Rebellion protesters have joined forces with pro-Palestine activists to take over London Liverpool Street Station with a united sit-in protest as they demand a ceasefire in Gaza.
Video footage released by the climate-change group shows some of the demonstrators lying on the ground, whilst others held posters and signs calling for an end to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
A large group of police officers can be seen around them at the busy London train station, which serves the Elizabeth, Central, Circle, Metropolitan and Hammersmith and City lines as well as National Rail services.
Taking to social media to share the protest with their followers, the eco-group attached a clip of the sit-in, with the caption: “ExtinctionRebellion stand in solidarity with climate & human rights movements in protest against AXA for their part in climate and ecological collapse and the violence in Gaza.”
XR protesters have teamed up with pro-Palestine activists to cause disruption at a major London train station
Extinction RebellionThey added the hashtags “PeaceNotWar” and “InsureOurFutureNOW”.
The British Transport Police said no arrests were made and the protest did not disrupt services.
A spokesperson said: “On Thursday, Feb 29, there was a peaceful protest at Liverpool Street station. About 100 people gathered from 2.30pm until 2.45pm and did not affect the operation of the station.
“British Transport Police were in attendance to minimise disruption to passengers. There were no arrests.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
British Transport Police made no arrests during the 15 minute protest
Extinction Rebellion
Currently, only two services are marginally delayed, and it's not known if this is linked to the protest.
Earlier in the day, Extinction Rebellion, as well as other climate protesters, staged demonstrations across the City of London as part of a week of action targeting the insurance industry.
Describing their choice to target the company, the group said: “For this particular action, where different groups and movements have come together, the focus is also on AXA’s continued investing in companies which are linked to the illegal occupation of land in Palestine. Among them are household brands such as Caterpillar, Volvo Group, IBM, Carrefour, Siemens and Airbnb.”
A protest was also staged outside the AXA office in Middlesbrough today by Extinction Rebellion North East and Cumbria.
Metropolitan Police officers form a cordon around Lloyds of London during a protest by Extinction Rebellion
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The group are also gearing up to disrupt workers enjoying a post-shift drink in Leadenhall Market, which is seen as a staple watering hole for insurance workers in the city.
“There is… a protest element seeking to attend pubs and bars in the area known to be frequented by employees of insurance companies.
“This is likely aimed at directly engaging employees with conversation about the climate crisis and their company’s ‘complicity.’ It is likely the target pubs and bars would be situated around the Leadenhall Market vicinity,” City AM reported after seeing a warning note from the group.
A spokesperson for the market said they were aware of the likelihood of protesters causing disruption this afternoon.