Animal Rebellion protest leads to more than 100 arrests

More than 100 people were arrested following a weekend of protests by environmental groups.

A significant policing operation was put in place to respond quickly to incidents of criminal damage and highway obstruction in central London.

On Saturday morning, a vehicle stop in Berwick Street resulted in the arrest of three people linked to the Animal Rebellion group. Officers seized items including fire extinguishers filled with paint.

Officers on duty in Green Park also spotted two people from the same group wanted in connection with incidents at shops in central London on Friday, where milk had been poured on carpets and food displays. They were both arrested and have since been charged.

Away from the main protest group, there were three incidents where damage was caused to shops and a restaurant by people emptying tins of paint on to windows and floors. Nine people were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in relation to those incidents.

Some 18 protesters from Animal Rebellion who blocked Westminster Bridge on Saturday evening and refused to leave when requested to do so were arrested.

Earlier that day, 24 protesters linked to the Just Stop Oil group were arrested for obstructing the highway after they blocked the junctions of Edgware Road and Upper Berkeley Street and Marylebone Road and Baker Street.

On Sunday afternoon, 47 people from the same group were arrested when they blocked roads near Piccadilly Circus, with some using locking devices to try and delay police interventions.

Superintendent Chris Green, who led the policing operation, said: “This weekend we saw repeated efforts to cause damage to businesses and to unreasonably disrupt the lives of ordinary Londoners by blocking roads.

“The policing operation required to respond to these challenges is significant.

“We fully support peaceful protest and will always try to work with organisers so that protests can go ahead safely, but the public rightly expect us to respond swiftly and effectively where protest crosses the line into criminality.”

Animal Rebellion supporters admitted daubing paint on the windows and stairs at two hunting shops.

The inside of Farlow’s Hunting Shop in Pall Mall was covered in red paint and paper flowers placed outside, and the front windows of William Evans Shooting Supply shop in St James’s Street were covered in green paint.

The group said the action was to expose “outdated” practices of hunting, shooting and fishing. The outside of the shop was covered in origami flowers. Others took and emptied milk from Wholefoods and Marks & Spencer supermarkets.

Pictured top: Protesters outside William Evans – hunting gun and rifle sellers (Picture: Animal Rebellion Group)