On 15th April, Extinction Rebellion activists shut down major roads and bridges in the capital. More than 1,000 arrests were made that day. Following this, on 25th April, members of the rebellion secured themselves to the London Stock Exchange as protests were brought to an end.
Many politicians saw the protests as outrageous, and Borris Johnson described the protesters as, 'smug, irritating and disruptive'.
Home secretary, Sajid David, said "Police should take a firm stance and use the full force of law against them."
Data collected from Google trends, on the other hand, evidently shows how the topics 'climate change' and 'Extinction Rebellion' were growing in popularity over the UK. The analytics tool shows that the searches, 'climate change' and 'Extinction rebellion' were blowing up during the time of protests. Thousands of people were becoming interested in these subject as the protests succssfully raised necessary awareness.
Alanna Byrne, a press coordinator for Extinction Rebellion, said, "The protests were hugely successful and we were pleased with the way the message has travelled".
Extinction Rebellion argues that the government's response to climate issues has been inadequate and demands for an introduction of a new target for achieving net carbon neutrality by 2025. A spokesperson from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy stated that the government is committed to reducing carbon emissions and that the issue calls for the protection of our planet for the future generations.
