Extinction Rebellion reveals new protest plans for this week
The group which brought parts of the capital to a standstill last week says it will organise a series of smaller protests.
Monday 22 April 2019 22:28, UK
Environmental protesters from Extinction Rebellion are planning to march to London's financial district on Thursday, Sky News has been told.
The group, which caused widespread disruption to the commercial district of the capital last week, said it would be taking part in a further series of protests.
It came as the number of arrested as part of the demonstrations topped 1,000.
On Monday, at least 100 protesters laid down on the floor of the Natural History Museum's lobby in a stunt organisers called a "die in".
Some wore red face paint, veils and robes, as they covered the area beneath the skeleton of the blue whale for about 30 minutes, making it difficult for visitors to cross the space.
The group, which wants urgent action to halt climate change and to stop the decline in biodiversity, had planned a sit-down protest on the Westway - one of the main dual carriageway routes into the heart of the capital.
Instead, they gathered at Marble Arch at an event that was sanctioned by police.
A spokesman warned the disruption could get "much worse" if politicians are not open to their calls for negotiation.
Sky's Katerina Vitozzi, who is at Marble Arch, said the group revealed they will march from the site of their official protest down to Parliament Square at 8.30am on Tuesday.
They plan to remain in Parliament Square on Wednesday before marching to the "financial district" on Thursday.
It is not clear whether the protesters intend to finish in the City of London or continue on to the Canary Wharf area where many banks now have their headquarters.
It is also not clear whether the march and Parliament Square sit-in have been sanctioned by the authorities.
On Sunday, Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick condemned the "miserable disruption" caused by protesters superglueing themselves to public transport and buildings - telling demonstrators to protest lawfully or go home.
Among those who spoke to the crowd of protesters in Marble Arch on Monday was 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who started the school strike movement by skipping lessons to demonstrate outside the Swedish parliament for months.
The 16-year-old was cheered as she walked on stage and told a crowd of hundreds that humanity was at a crossroads.
Earlier on Sunday, in an internal memo, the group's political circle co-ordinator Farhana Yamin said they would shift tactics to "focus on political demands".