Monday 27 April 2009

Climate Change protest in the Commons

Four environmental protesters have glued themselves to a statue in the Houses of Parliament, in a historic echo of the suffragette movement.

Three young women and a man, wearing red sashes, have stuck their hands together to form a chain around the statue of Viscount Falkland, just yards from the Commons chamber.

The Commons authorities have closed that access to the Central lobby and when we looked down the corridor the paramedics were urging the four to be quiet while they worked out a way to remove them.

The protesters, from the group Climate Rush, say the protest is against last week's decision to allow a new generation of coal-fuelled power stations.

One hundred years ago today,27 April 1909, suffragettes chained themselves to statues in St. Stephen's Hall in the Houses of Parliament.

Margery Humes chained herself to a statue of Viscount Falkland. The police report recorded that 'slight damage was done to the spur of the Falkland statue to which Miss Humes was attached.'

The chains were removed with bolt clippers. This police report to the Serjeant at Arms remarked that 'the clippers turned out most valuable in this case.' What do you use on superglue?

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