TRAFFIC on one of Worcester’s busiest roads was delayed when a members of the city’s Extinction Rebellion group staged a morning of civil disobedience.
A group of activists from across the region joined local members on Friday (September 20) for non-violent direct action to protest about the local and national government’s inaction on the climate and ecological emergency.
Around 70 protestors occupied the crossings on the New Road side of Worcester Bridge for seven minutes at a time, disrupting the flow of traffic into the city centre.
Rebels began the action at 8am until 10am before moving on to protests in Cathedral Square later in the morning.
Members of Extinction Rebellion Worcester claimed Worcestershire County Council had been ‘negligent’ in its responsibility as the local authority to declare a climate emergency and to set a target for net zero emissions by the year 2025.
And the group has warned further rebellions will be held in the city until the Government and County Council declare a climate and ecological emergency, act to halt biodiversity loss and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2025 and create and be led by the decisions of a citizens’ assembly on climate and ecological justice.
‘Alina’, local liason for Worcester XR said: “Business as usual is destroying life on the planet and it will affect us all. We are in a Climate Emergency so emergency action is needed.
“It is not our intention to target or inconvenience people going about their business and we are not condemning anyone for driving to work.”
“Extinction Rebellion would of course, prefer not to have to resort to such action, and please remember we are a non-violent protest group and would like to apologise to drivers for the disruption.”
Among those to criticise the group was outspoken city and county councillor Coun Alan Amos who branded members of the group ‘eco-fascists’.
“These thugs know they can’t win their argument through the ballot box and are hell-bent on forcing their intolerant and unrealistic opinions on everyone else,” he said.
“By siding with these thugs, the police have again shown their complete disregard for motorists and the Highways Authority always working very hard to keep traffic moving.
“The only consolation in all this is it will rebound on the eco-fascists since people who may have had some sympathy with them up to now will henceforth be against them.”
