Animal activists scale Defra building in protest against meat industry
26th October 2021
The animal rights and climate activists are planning an extended stand-off with the police, intending to stay on the building until the government agrees to their demands of defunding the meat industry.
The protesters are members of the group Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion which is known for its protest stunts. The group describes itself as a ‘mass movement’ using civil disobedience to bring about an end to animal agriculture and form a plant-based society.
In the early hours of Tuesday 26th of October, four protesters in hard hats and carrying supplies were found to be scaling the front of a government building in central London, home to the Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Home Office.
The protesters came prepared with hammocks with the intention of staying on the building until the government meets its demands, primarily “until UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledges to cut all taxpayer support for animal agriculture”. The protesters have been seen using harnesses and ropes, and are understood to be secure in their position.
The protest has been planned to coincide with the COP26 summit – a United Nations Climate Change Conference – where the government is set to discuss its climate policies with world leaders. The protesters are hoping their actions will inspire the government to announce its support for a plant-based system at the summit and renounce any subsidies for the meat industry.
Once in position on the front of the building, the protesters unveiled a large orange banner that reads ‘COP: Invest in a Plant-Based Future’.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “Shortly after 6am we were alerted to a small group of protestors climbing the outside of a government building in Marsham Street to access the roof… Officers are on the scene with the London Fire Brigade and are engaging with the protestors. As yet, there have been no arrests.”
The situation is still ongoing, with the height of the protesters’ position causing police and fire departments difficulties in removing them safely. It is understood that the protesters are experienced climbers used to being at height and prepared to stay indefinitely.
So far the protest has caused little disruption, with the surrounding roads still open, and government workers able to access the building through side entrances.
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