Members of the Abergavenny and Brecon affinity group were arrested last week at Oxford Circus as climate-change protestors tried to shut down London.

Around 500 arrests have now been made but the Extinction Rebellion still hold the key sites of Parliament Square, Marble Arch, Oxford Circus and Waterloo Bridge as more people join the protest over government complacency on climate change and the mass extinction event we are currently experiencing.

Rob Proctor from Abergavenny was one of those arrested but on release said, “The support from the public is phenomenal, even though we’re being disruptive, they are behind us.”

As Sian Cox of Brecon was taken away, Janet Barker from Llangammarch Wells took her place.

“It’s incredible, over 400 have been arrested for peacefully protesting and yet even more are coming down to replace them,’ said Janet, ‘I am surrounded by people who are deeply committed and care so much for the future that we are prepared to do whatever it takes.

“I recently went to see my MP, Chris Davies, to ask him to do more on climate change but was then disappointed to find that he hadn’t even attended the Parliamentary debate on the subject. Now all we can do is resort to civil disobedience.”

The Extinction Rebellion has indicated it will escalate the protest until the government meets its three demands.

The Government must tell the truth about the ecological emergency, reverse all policies inconsistent with addressing climate change and work alongside the media to communicate to its citizens what needs to be done.

These demands include: the Government to enact legally-binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, and to reduce consumption levels. A national Citizen’s Assembly must be established to oversee the changes, as an immediate step towards forming a democracy fit for purpose.

The protests have roiled over the last few weeks, sparking a variety of demonstrations from the group, across the capital. Last Wednesday, two activists from Extinction Rebellion clambered onto the roof of a Docklands Light Railway train at Canary Wharf station, whilst another campaigner glued themselves to the side of the carriage, causing huge disruption to commuters. Another group glued themselves to a fence outside Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader’s home.

Older activists were bolstered by a younger group of protestors who gathered on a roundabout outside Heathrow Airport. A banner the group held, read, “Are we the last generation?”.

Sadiq Khan, London Mayor, had previously supported the protests, but last week described some of the actions as ‘counterproductive’ pointing out that already-stretched police resources were forced to spread further.