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8 Mar, 2015 02:09

Scuffles break out in London as thousands protest climate change (VIDEOS)

Scuffles break out in London as thousands protest climate change (VIDEOS)

​Scuffles between climate change activists and police broke out in central London on Saturday, with police having to subdue one angry man dressed as a bear. Elsewhere in the city, cyclists blocked a main road and anarchists incited further mischief.

As around 20,000 people gathered in central London to demand a stronger government stance on climate change before the Paris climate conference in December, police kept a watchful eyes on the protesters.

Many dressed in animal costumes managed to upset the police lines as they marched towards the Houses of Parliament to make their demands heard.

While a festive mood presided over the peaceful march, with dancing being sporadic and widespread, one man wearing a white-bear suit managed to get manhandled by the cops, who battled the crowds trying to protect him.

As the crowd progressed from Lincoln’s Inns Fields and headed towards Westminster, many sit-ins were organized along the way. Others rushed to hear celebrity speeches. Activist Russell Brand addressed the crowd via a Youtube message.

At one stage about 100 marchers blocked traffic outside Charing Cross station after siting down in the middle of the road with their bicycles.

Others chanted “power to the people, power to the polar bear” as they continued side by side with friends and families who carried placards with messages such as “climate not trident” and “say no to fracking”.

Earlier in the day, scuffles broke out between ‘anarchists’ and police as the march progressed through central London. The march was conducted in coordination with a reported 2,500 events around the world.

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