Activists attempting to shut down London’s biggest fish market have claimed “mass arrests” in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Dozens of protestors from Animal Rebellion, which aims to “end the animal agriculture industry” in order to minimise the impacts of climate change, stopped traffic and blocked entrances to Billingsgate Fish Market in Poplar, east London.
The group are campaigning “in solidarity” with Extinction Rebellion, who have spent the past week protesting in central
London as part of their International Rebellion – action which is expected to continue for at least another week.
Twenty-eight people had been arrested as of 8.40am said spokesperson Alex Lockwood, with some 200 demonstrators in total stopping traffic and one protestor locking themselves to the entrance of the market.
The Metropolitan
police has not yet been able to confirm the arrests. The arrests begin at Billingsgate Market where we have stopped vehicles entering#AnimalRebellion#EverybodyNow#ExtinctionRebellion#ClimateEmergencypic.twitter.com/N8zRo4jW57— Animal Rebellion London (@rebelsanimalLDN) October 12, 2019 Lockwood claimed that “six or seven” police vans had taken arrestees away from the scene, and said around 150 police had attended.
A photo posted by the group shows a woman being carried away by three police officers and is accompanied by the caption “mass arrests at Billingsgate”.
Lockwood said protestors had gathered at Montgomery Square in Canary Wharf at 2.30am on Saturday before moving down to the market.
Dan Kidby, a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion and one of those arrested, said: “We invited Billingsgate Market and its 40 trading merchants to a dialogue this morning and we are disappointed they did not respond to our peaceful request.
“If fishing continues on current trends, there will be no fish to sell very soon, and the workers will need alternative work to support their families.
“In 2018, the
UK exported a total of 611,000 tonnes of recovered plastic packaging to other countries, including
China, but the UK should take responsibility for our own waste and this Billingsgate site could be a pioneer of change on this.” In a tweet about its “vigil” at the fish market, Animal Rebellion said: “So many here, here for the fishes, for the thousands in the market, dead or dying, for the trillions killed this year #friendsnotfood.”
Animal Rebellion describes itself as a “mass volunteer movement” demanding that the government end the “destructive animal farming and fishing industries”.
According to the group’s website, it wants the government to lead a “transition to a just, sustainable plant-based food system”.Related... This Is How Extinction Rebellion Is Funded, And Where It Spends The Money Extinction Rebellion Has A Bold New Tactic To Ground Aeroplanes Out Of London More Than 1,000 Extinction Rebellion Protestors Have Been Arrested, Police Confirm