EXTINCTION Rebellion postponed plans to storm Gatwick Airport after commuters took matters into their own hands and pulled protesters off a train roof this morning.
The climate change activists started their 11th day of protests at three London Underground stations as they climbed on top and glued themselves to doors.
Th Met Police had issued a city-wide ban and the eco-warriors’ efforts were met with backlash from commuters, politicians and an Extinction Rebellion spokesman calling it a “huge own goal”.
Video from Canning Town station in East London shows a crowd of angry commuters beating and kicking a protester after dragging him from the top of the train.
Police have made more than 1,700 arrests since the start of the demonstrations last Monday.
The group’s leaders have called off a planned protest at Gatiwck airport “in light of” today’s Tube disruption.
In a group message on Telegram one leader wrote: “In light of this morning’s events, we have considered further and it’s felt best to postpone.
“For people who are already on their way, we can meet by Costa and discuss, but please don’t wear any XR branding.
“Watch out for another visit here in the near future.”
The group originally planned to in the South Terminal arrivals area to dance and hand out pamphlets while some were encouraged to “indulge in a bit of mischief”.
Instead a small number of people met in the airport to hand out leaflets.
Extinction Rebellion describe themselves as a “decentralised movement” meaning protesters organised in small groups may carry out their own actions as long as they in line with the over all principals.
It is understood more than half of Extinction Rebellion members were against today’s action.
A source from the activist group told The Mirror: “We were vehemently opposed to it. So it’s really upsetting for this to happen. This was not an action we support.
“Despite this, the action has gone ahead, and we feel that the actions of a handful of protestors have jeopardised our movement, turning public opinion against us, and creating a potential schism within our ranks. We are furious that this has happened.”
In a statement released today, Extinction Rebellion acknowledged one of protesters got violent.
The group said: “We are aware that one of our activists responded in self defence in a moment of panic when confronted by a threatening situation.
“He acknowledges his accountability for this action and we offer gratitude for members of the public who helped to protect him.
“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.
“We are aware that this action was divisive. We are a broad and diverse movement with a wide range of views, and are aware that many people were not for this action.
“Those that acted this morning planned their action autonomously, within Extinction Rebellion’s principles and values, centred around nonviolence and compassion. ”
One of the Extinction Rebellion protesters who clambered on top of a Tube this morning has been unmasked as a 36-year-old Buddhist who lived as a monk for a year in India.
Today’s stunt was led by serial demonstrator Mark Ovland, 36, who gave up his full-time Buddhist teacher training studies earlier this year to join the group as a “full time protester”.
When he was 24, he lived in India for a year as a Monk and said in an interview with the website Everyday Mindfulness that he experienced a “profound mystical awakening” when he travelled there with a friend.
After returning to the UK, he became a trainee Buddhist teacher, even going into prisons to assist a Buddhist chaplain.
Mr Ovland gave this up earlier this year to become a full-time protester for Extinction Rebellion.
He has been repeatedly arrested over the last two weeks.
The protester will go on trial later this year after allegedly gluing himself to a train at Canary Wharf during Extinction Rebellion‘s April demos.
Ahead of today’s protest – which he described as a “belly scream” – he said he wanted to “polarise opinion” and “create an emotional response to really shake things up”.
The 36-year-old, from Devon, said he wanted to “create a response where people have to get off the fence” and was “using the transport system to raise the alarm”.
Mr Ovland and other protesters faced the wrath of London commuters this morning by climbing on to the roof of carriages on a Jubilee Line train at Canning Town in East London.
Furious commuters at the crowded station lobbed drinks at one protester before he was yanked from the train to the platform floor.
Mr Ovland was also chased down the Tube before being pulled into the crowd of irate Londoners.
The violent scenes erupted as Extinction Rebellion admitted it had scored a massive own goal by targeting Londoners just trying to board trains to work.
British Transport Police confirmed eight people had been arrested on suspicion of obstructing the railway this morning but urged commuters not to “take matters into their own hands”.
A member of Transport for London staff appeared to intervene to stop people from attacking one activist further by holding them back.
One man yelled “I need to get to work, I have to feed my kids”, while others shouted insults at activists.
One of the eco-warriors was Robin Boardman-Pattison, 21, who went to a £17,500-a-year private school – but the globe-trotter did not climb on top of the Tube.
The “YouTube poet” stormed off Sky News earlier this year after being called “incompetent and middle-class”.
Extinction Rebellion cameraman Elliot Laughlin claims he was “beaten up” by up to 20 people when he filmed the demonstration today.
Elliot, who is from Bristol, said he was thrown to the ground and left with cuts and bruises following the “mob mentality”.
Footage showed him being pulled over by a crowd of people as he tried to cling on to his camera.
He said he didn’t “wholeheartedly” support today’s protest – but said he wasn’t scared of the mob, just “frightened of what happens if our f***ing food systems collapse”.
In a Facebook Live he said: “The London mob mentality went crazy. I was kicked and beaten by no less than 20 people, we were here non violently.
“In that moment, you don’t feel the pain…my dad told me once that if you’re even being beaten up by people, you just get in the foetal position, you grab your stuff.
“So I fell, my glasses came off, my hat came off, my phones scattered.
“One of my phones has been smashed even further.
“And essentially all I could do, I grabbed my glasses, I grabbed my hat, I grabbed my phone and my tripod and I just curled into a ball and the blows just kept coming and coming.
“Eventually, three Londoners who were actually unhappy with the action stepped in, pushing back the mob. The police took over 20 minutes to respond.
“They beat me on the platform just for being a journalist. They pulled down the other two activists from the train. One of them, James, was beaten quite badly.”
Among other protesters was 77 year-old vicar Sue Parfitt, a grandfather, and a former GP who glued themselves to electric DLR lines and tube services at Stratford and Shadwell, East London.
One commuter shouted at them: “What are you doing? It’s a f***ing electric train!”
Leaders of the movement admitted the targeting of the commuters had been an own goal following a severe public backlash.
XR spokesperson Fergal McEntee appeared to backtrack on the chaos today – telling LBC he wouldn’t have supported stopping a Tube.
He said: “Public support for this isn’t going to be very good.”
When asked whether today’s action was a “huge own goal”, he replied: “Yes, I think so. I agree with you on that.”
The group later released a statement saying: “It is regrettable that there was violence at today’s action at Canning Town tube station. We would like to express our sadness that events escalated this way.
“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.”
Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, criticised the action and said: “So what point is Extinction Rebellion making shutting down east London’s public transport system, preventing ordinary people from getting to work, school, hospital?”
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood added: “This response in London today has my full support. Extinction Rebellion undermines its noble cause with such disruptive and illegal stunts.
“Well done to the general public for swiftly standing as one, stepping forward & closing the incident down when individuals break the law.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan condemned this morning’s protest, calling it “an unfair burden on our already overstretched police officers”.
Piers Morgan also lashed out at the protesters, saying: “The only ‘shocking’ bit is that these selfish stupid XR cretins thought they could stop working class people in the East End trying to go to work on public transport….To quote a phrase: How DARE you?
“I stand 100 per cent with the Canning Town chump-dumpers.”
Now Extinction Rebellion organisers have said they will “take stock” over whether to continue with future disruption to the transport network.
