Climate change protesters block traffic and spray chalk on windows in Northampton town centre

Traffic on a Northampton town centre road was stopped in its tracks on Saturday by climate change activists.
Extinction Rebellion block traffic trying to enter St Peter's Way on Saturday.Extinction Rebellion block traffic trying to enter St Peter's Way on Saturday.
Extinction Rebellion block traffic trying to enter St Peter's Way on Saturday.

A protest by Extinction Rebellion Northampton halted cars on St Peter's Way over the weekend March 16 by stretching a banner across the eastbound road for an hour.

They were also spotted spraying liquid chalk on the glass front of HSBC in Abington Street, delivering a speech by megaphone on the steps of the Guildhall and carrying a coffin with 'our future' written on the side.

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The group say the 'civil disobedience' was to protest climate change and called on Northampton Borough Council to declare an 'ecological emergency' in the town.

A spokesman for the group said there were mixed reactions to the activists and said many motorists on St Peter's Way 'beeped horns, shouted insults' and asked the police to arrest them.

Northamptonshire Police tweeted to say they were working with the group to help manage the 'peaceful protest' on Saturday morning.

Nick Cooper, who was part of the Extinction Rebellion' march, said: "There were plenty of negative reactions but that’s kind of the point.

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"In an emergency people need to get upset. That raw emotion and anger about having our way of life disrupted is what creates the space for people to begin talking about the climate and ecological emergency."

Extinction Rebellion block traffic trying to enter St Peter's Way on Saturday.Extinction Rebellion block traffic trying to enter St Peter's Way on Saturday.
Extinction Rebellion block traffic trying to enter St Peter's Way on Saturday.

The group says they received support in Abington Street following the School Strike for Climate last week, which saw schools walk out to protest climate change.

The group called on the borough council to 'enact legally binding measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025' and declare a climate emergency.

Extinction Rebellion Northampton say that they plan to hold more protests locally in the near future and have plans to reach out to more students on campus.