‘Banksy artwork’ appears at Marble Arch after two weeks of Extinction Rebellion protests
Artwork believed to be the work of Banksy has appeared overnight at one of the major sites of the last fortnight’s climate change protests.
Read more: Climate protesters blockade Treasury in action against finance sector
The image in Marble Arch depicts a child in a headscarf holding a placard with the symbol of protest organisers Extinction Rebellion.
Next to her is a spade in the soil, with the green leaves of a new plant sprouting out of a mound of soil.
Even police appeared to admire the artwork after arresting 1,130 protesters over the course of the protests (Source: Getty)
To the left of the image a message reads: “From this moment despair ends and tactics begin.”
People were already posing alongside the image, with police officers reportedly even taking photographs for people.
The art appeared on the wall after Extinction Rebellion concluded almost two weeks of demonstrations across central London, blockading traffic and organising tens of thousands of people into protests.
Police had ordered activists to confine their demonstrations to Marble Arch but Oxford Street, Piccadilly Circus, Parliament Square, Waterloo Bridge, Vauxhall Bridge and many other landmarks saw roads blocked during the protests.
The artwork is yet to be confirmed as a Banksy but nevertheless caught the eye of the public today (Source: Getty)
More than a thousand people were arrested in connection with the protests while around 70 people have been charged over the activism.
Yesterday demonstrators targeted London’s financial districts, blocking a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) train at Canary Wharf station and glueing themselves together to block access to the London Stock Exchange.
Some of the London Stock Exchange blockaders had financial ticker-style LED signs hung around their necks with messages such as “Tell the truth” as it accused the financial sector of playing a role in “our collective suicide”.
Protesters also held hands to stop access to the Treasury and protested in the street outside Goldman Sachs.
Protesters attended a closing ceremony in Marble Arch last night (Source: Getty)
The Metropolitan Police said 1,130 people have been arrested and 69 charged in connection with the protests, which saw more than 10,000 police deployed to central London streets.
Read more: 26 arrested as climate change protesters target City of London
Extinction Rebellion has called for the government to commit to a fully de-carbonised economy by 2025 to avoid a “sixth mass extinction”.