Jo Swinson confronts Extinction Rebellion protesters glued to Lib Dems’ electric bus
A group of Extinction Rebellion protesters dressed as bees have glued themselves to Jo Swinson’s campaign bus, despite the fact it’s an electric vehicle.
The protesters disrupted the Liberal Democrat leader’s battle bus as it was on its way to visit a youth centre in South London.
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The six Extinction Rebellion protesters targeted the bus to urge Swinson to put the “climate and ecological emergency is top of the agenda this election”.
Some of the protesters can be seen on one social media video running around and buzzing like bees and yelling out slogans.
One protester said: “We need a new form of democracy.”
While another added: “Climate action now.”
Later on, Swinson tried to negotiate with the men and women dressed as bees.
“I’ve been to the Extinction Rebellion protests myself earlier this year and I think it’s a very important cause and I think it’s absolutely true there’s a climate emergency,” she said.
She was then accused by a female bee of peddling “a lot of empty promises”.
When pressed, Swinson responded: “I would say when we are in government, the liberal democrats will more then triple the amount of electricity and energy coming from renewable sources.
“I absolutely get the ambition to go further and farther and I welcome that.”
Extinction Rebellion asked Swinson and her party to commit to the three demands of the group.
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They are to call a climate emergency, to commit to net-zero carbon emissions by 2025 and to organise “people’s assemblies” to come up with solutions to climate change.
Swinson refused to accept the protesters’ demands.