Protesters strip off in House of Commons during Brexit debate
Written by News on 02/04/2019
A group of protesters have been arrested after stripping off in the House of Commons as MPs debated Brexit.
Direct action group Extinction Rebellion said semi-naked activists had glued their hands to the Commons’ public gallery to “call attention to the ‘elephant in the room’ – climate and ecological crisis.”
“We are walking dangerously close to irreversible climate collapse – this is what it has come to,” the group said.
MP James Heappey shared an image of the protesters from the floor of the Commons with the caption: “Parliament just got a little bit more nuts!”
Sky’s political correspondent Kate McCann said one man wearing a leather thong-style pouch had glued his hand to the gallery and pressed his body against the glass wall.
Two of the activists wore full grey body paint and elephant masks, while some had words written on their bodies including “Climate justice act now” and “eco collapse”.
Police said 12 people have been arrested for “outraging public decency” following the protest.
The demonstration came as MPs prepare for a second round of indicative votes on alternative Brexit options.
Speaker John Bercow maintained that the debate ahead of the votes would proceed despite the protest.
Several doorkeepers attempted to remove the demonstrators, but they remained in position for several minutes.
Extinction Rebellion posted a photograph of police officers questioning the activists after they had been removed from the House of Commons’ chamber.
Activist Mark Ovland said: “By undressing in parliament, we are putting ourselves in an incredibly vulnerable position, highlighting the vulnerability that all of us share in the face of environmental and societal breakdown.
“There is an elephant in the room and it is demanding attention.”
Wildlife biologist Iggy Fox, 24, said: “I’m tired of the time and resources our government wastes rearranging the deckchairs on the Brexitanic.
“I want a future, and right now they are burning it like there’s no tomorrow.”
(c) Sky News 2019: Protesters strip off in House of Commons during Brexit debate
