Extinction Rebellion protests: Hundreds join demonstrations across UK demanding demanding government takes action on climate change

Five arrested after activists spray graffiti on Environmental Agency offices in Bristol

Environmental activists from the Extinction Rebellion movement gather in Parliament Square in central London on 24 November, 2018 (AFP/Getty)

Hundreds of protesters joined Extinction Rebellion marches in cities across the UK to demand the government takes action on climate change.

Five people were arrested in Bristol after protesters sprayed graffiti on the offices of the Environmental Agency in Bristol as around 250 demonstrators marched on the city council.

They also planted a tree on the lawn outside the Mayor’s Office.

In Cambridge, more than 100 members of the group staged a “die in” in the city’s Grafton Centre and the Grand Arcade.

Meanwhile, around 100 people gathered in Glasgow on the Buchanan Street steps to sing “subversive carols” and give away trees.

The group has called on the British government to commit to net zero carbon emissions by 2025 and reverse policies it says are inconsistent with addressing climate change.

Campaigners have also demanded a “citizen’s assembly” be set up to give ordinary people a voice in creating new environmental policies.

Previous protests included groups of “swarming” demonstrators blocking major roads in central London and occupying five Thames bridges.

It comes as critical climate talks at the UN COP24 summit were extended by two days after big polluters, including the US and Saudi Arabia, pushed back against key scientific findings.