Animal rights activists climb govt building in London ahead of COP26

London: Four protesters from Animal Rebellion on Tuesday climbed a building shared by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Home Office (Ministry of Interior) in central London to demand that the UK government support a plant-based diet at the upcoming UN Conference on Climate Change, COP26, due to begin on Sunday in the Scottish city of Glasgow.

Images posted on social media by the environmental group show demonstrators scaling the building facade, where they unveiled a banner saying: ‘COP26: Invest in a plant-based future.’

The environmental organization, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion, said in a statement that demonstrators intend to remain on the building, suspended in hammocks, until UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledges to cut all taxpayer support for animal agriculture and promises to urge all world leaders to do the same when they attend the COP26 summit later this week.

“The UK Government is simultaneously saying that it is a world leader in climate change whilst propping up the unsustainable and unprofitable meat and dairy industry, one that emits disproportionate amounts of greenhouse gases. This hypocrisy has to end – we need to defund meat and subsidise plant-based alternatives instead,” Animal Rebellion spokesperson Nathan McGovern was quoted as saying.

The Metropolitan Police said their officers were on the scene alongside the London Fire Brigade but no arrests had been made so far. (UNI)