British actress Emma Thompson has joined the climate change campaign group Extinction Rebellion.
The actress climbed aboard a pink boat that has occupied one of central London’s main traffic intersections for the past five days as climate change activists continued their protests in the capital.
“This is the most pressing and urgent problem of our time, in the history of the human race,” she told a crowd, adding that young people have been failed by her generation and politicians.
“I have seen the evidence for myself and I really care about my children and grandchildren enough to want to be here today to stand with the next generation.”
"I can't describe the level of hypocrisy from our government."
Actress Emma Thompson says she's standing with the "next generation who want to fix the problem". #ExtinctionRebellion protests are taking place in London demanding action on climate change: https://t.co/ymQcqoxyh8 pic.twitter.com/GrcKdz1RQp
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 19, 2019
“We are here in this little island of sanity and it makes me so happy to be able to join you all and to add my voice to the young people here who have inspired a whole new movement,” she added.
Since Monday Extinction Rebellion protesters have disrupted London services, gluing themselves to a DLR train at Canary Wharf at one point.
Their hope is to “shut down London” until April 29, unless the government “tell the truth about climate change”, promise to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2025, and create a citizens’ assembly to oversee progress.
The likes of Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien and Glastonbury festival organiser Emily Eavis have voiced their support for the group.
Extinction Rebellion say they only plan to heighten their efforts indefinitely until the government take action.