Royal Parks plead with Extinction Rebellion not to shut down half marathon event in London

Extinction Rebellion protests have been scheduled for the next two weeks

The organisers of the Royal Parks Half Marathon have appealed to Extinction Rebellion on Twitter, asking that Sunday’s race not be impacted by the current demonstrations in central London.

Protesters demanding action on climate change brought large parts of the capital to a standstill on Monday, closing down several streets around Westminster, as part of coordinated actions taking place around the world.

The Met Police said it had arrested 319 people on Monday, easily surpassing the 122 arrests made on the first day of similar protests in the capital in April.

Further demonstrations are planned throughout the next two weeks, leading the organisers of the Royal Parks Half Marathon to ask on Twitter: “Can we count on [Extinction Rebellion] to ensure our runners have a safe and incredible race day?”

The organisers added that the half marathon raises nearly £50m for over 1000 charitable causes.

In reply, Extinction Rebellion London offered to work with both the Royal Parks Half Marathon team and the Metropolitan Police to keep disruption to a minimum.

“We will do all that we can, the Royal Parks run is important and we support you,” tweeted Extinction Rebellion.

“Let’s consider how we handle this as the situation becomes clearer. We have police liaison teams, I suggest you with us via [the] Metropolitan Police.

“I hope this is helpful. Good luck.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday appealed to the protesters to stop blocking London's streets.

Labelling Extinction Rebellion activists as “uncooperative crusties”, the PM called on them to abandon their "hemp-smelling bivouacs" to allow the capital to function smoothly again.