A radical climate change activist who attempted to disrupt a Tube train in London has been attacked by a crowd of commuters.
The man, part of the Extinction Rebellion group, was standing on the roof of a train in the east of the city early on Thursday morning.
In a video of the protest, frustrated commuters can be seen shouting at the man and throwing things at him.
A man on the platform then jumps up in an attempt to grab the demonstrator, who kicks him in return.
Commuters now physically dragging protestors from the roof of the train. @itvlondon pic.twitter.com/gDkXfJNxmL
— Holly Collins (@HollyJoCollins) October 17, 2019
The man then succeeded in dragging the protestor off the roof, where he was surrounded by angry commuters.
Other people on the platform cheered as the man lay on the ground.
In response, Extinction Rebellion said today: “To those that engaged in violence, we acknowledge that we disrupted your life today.”
The group added: “In light of today’s events, Extinction Rebellion will be looking at ways to bring people together rather than create an unnecessary division.
“The people involved today did not take this action lightly. They were a grandfather, an ex-buddhist teacher, a vicar and a former GP among others who acted out of rational fear for the future as this crisis deepens.”
Police said that eight protesters have so far been arrested.
An officer with the British Transport Police said: “Despite our countless warnings, we are frustrated that Extinction Rebellion put people at risk to obstruct services on London’s rail network.
“Those who obstructed services are in custody and will be dealt with robustly. This type of action is completely at odds with what Extinction Rebellion are campaigning for and we will continue to urge them to not target any rail network.”
He added: “However, it was also concerning to see that a number of commuters took matters into their own hands, displaying violent behaviour to detain a protester at Canning Town.”
