At least 30 arrested over Extinction Rebellion’s Amazon warehouse blockades
Dozens of climate change protesters who who blockaded Amazon warehouses across the country on Black Friday have been arrested.
Extinction Rebellion (XR) said its demonstrations took place at sites in Doncaster, Darlington, Newcastle, Manchester, Peterborough, Derby, Coventry, Rugeley, Dartford, Bristol, Tilbury, Milton Keynes and Dunfermline.
Activists arrived in the early hours of Friday to set up bamboo structures and ‘lock-ons’, and held banners urging Amazon to cut its emissions.
Some people could also be seen wearing masks of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and setting up tents on the road as police officers began to move in.
At least 30 people have been arrested in four of the locations, police forces have confirmed.
The group, which is also drawing attention to alleged exploitation of Amazon workers, said it planned to remain at the scene for at least 48 hours.
Yesterday’s blockades were part of an international effort, targeting 15 of the online giant’s fulfilment centres in the UK, US, Germany and the Netherlands.
An XR spokesperson said: ‘The action is intended to draw attention to Amazon’s exploitative and environmentally destructive business practices, disregard for workers’ rights in the name of company profits, as well as the wastefulness of Black Friday.
‘Amazon continues to lobby the US government to fight against climate legislation while telling the public they are committed to green initiatives.
‘They are committing the very definition of greenwash.’
The spokesperson said the protests were in solidarity with activists and workers from the Make Amazon Pay campaign – demanding better working conditions, clear environmental commitments and for Amazon to pay their fair share of tax.
At the Dartford site, around 20 activists set up the blockade on a road at just before 5am.
Kent Police said it arrested five people on suspicion of aggravated trespass before they were taken into custody. The other attendees dispersed by 2.30pm.
Essex Police said 17 people were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass after a protest took place near to an Amazon depot in Tilbury.
Two men and two women were also arrested on suspicion of public nuisance at the site in Manchester.
A further four were arrested by Durham Police following a demonstration outside the Amazon depot in Darlington.
XR’s spokesperson at the Dunfermline blockade, Meg Paton-Jones, said: ‘The police have one van on site and they are watching us.
‘We started here at about 4am but are not blocking the employees’ car park so the night shift can leave. We have good vibes and music.’
An Amazon spokesman said: ‘At Amazon, we take our responsibilities very seriously.
‘That includes our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement – providing excellent pay and benefits in a safe and modern work environment, and supporting the tens of thousands of British small businesses who sell on our store.
‘We know there is always more to do, and we’ll continue to invent and invest on behalf of our employees, customers, small businesses and communities in the UK.
‘We’re proud to have invested £32 billion in the UK since 2010, creating 10,000 new permanent jobs across the country this year alone, and generating a total UK tax contribution of £1.55 billion in 2020.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.