London climate protests: Police make nearly 300 arrests

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal</p> <p>LONDON (AA) – The number of arrests in ongoing road blockages by environmentalist protesters has risen to roughly 300 in London, the Metropolitan Police said Wednesday.</p> <p>The updated number by police came after more than 200 arrests as the protest brought London to a standstill with some roads in the city blocked since Monday morning. </p> <p>London's Metropolitan Police issued a public order condition as of Monday evening, which means that protesters should leave the scene when they are asked to.</p> <p>&quot;The same condition has been implemented to those in the Oxford Circus area,&quot; police said.</p> <p>The condition has since been “extended for a further three days.”</p> <p>“In order to impose this condition, the Met required evidence that serious disruption was being caused to communities in London,” police said.</p> <p>Updating the number of arrests as 290 in a new statement, police asked all protesters to move to the Marble Arch area.</p> <p>The protesters have blocked Waterloo Bridge, one of the main passages across River Thames, as well as Marble Arch and Oxford Circus areas in central London.</p> <p>Similar protests are being reported in various other cities across the U.K., including Glasgow and Nottingham.</p> <p>Meanwhile, the Extinction Rebellion, a grassroots activist movement organizing the protests, said in a statement that they would disrupt London’s rail and metro services on Wednesday.</p> <p>They said they plan to continue the protests throughout the week.</p> <p>The protesters are demanding the government to declare a state of &quot;climate emergency&quot; and ask for reforms &quot;to address climate change as an educational priority&quot;.