UK considering banning environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion
The British government is considering banning environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion after activists delayed the distribution of several national newspapers by blocking access to three printing presses owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Protesters connected to Extinction Rebellion targeted Newsprinters presses at Broxbourne in Hertfordshire, Knowsley in Merseyside, and near Motherwell, North Lanarkshire.
The presses print the Murdoch-owned News Corp titles including the Sun, the Times, the Sun on Sunday, the Sunday Times, and the Scottish Sun. They also print the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, and the London Evening Standard.
The protesters have accused the papers of failing to report fairly and accurately on climate change.
In total Eighty Extinction Rebellion activists were arrested by police at all three sites.
The concerted protests against printing presses on Saturday (September 05) prompted Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to condemn the action as “unacceptable”.
And now ministers are reported to be considering protections for “tenets of democracy”, such as courts and the press, after yesterday’s show of strength by Extinction Rebellion prevented the distribution of millions of newspapers.
The push to proscribe Extinction Rebellion is reportedly led by hardline Home Secretary, Priti Patel.
Citing “government sources”, the Press Association (PA) news agency claims Patel wants to take a “fresh look” at how the environmental campaign group is “classified under law” following yesterday’s protests.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, appeared to lend credence to PA’s claims by telling Sky News: “We always keep all of our laws under review”.
Raab also said that the government is anxious to “ensure that kind of behavior [protests] is not repeated”.
But any move to ban Extinction Rebellion is expected to meet stiff opposition at the House of Commons and beyond.
In an interview with Sky News, Labor MP Diane Abbott defended Extinction Rebellion by comparing the group to the suffragettes, claiming it would be "ridiculous" to reclassify them as an “organized crime group” as they are "not criminal, they are protesters and activists".
Iran dismisses UK, Australia’s ‘baseless’ claims, urges end to interventions in West Asia
US, UK mull removing HTS militants in Syria from terror list
British occupation of Ireland must end
Never again is now: How global companies are complicit in Israel's genocide in Gaza
What the expansion of BRICS means for the world
Syria situation won’t impact Iran-Russia strategic partnership: Russian FM
UAE-backed forces kill 21 in attack on Sudan shelter
VIDEO | Press TV's News Headlines
Ethnic cleansing happening in Christian town in Syria: Rights group
Iran commiserates with South Korea, Thailand over deadly plane crash
Dey 9 epic: IRGC says ready to defend Iran's security
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
