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Over the weekend, Extinction Rebellion protesters blocked roads leading to and from printers in Hertsfordshire and Merseyside, delaying the delivery of millions of newspapers to UK shops. The protesters specifically targeted Newsprinters, which print newspapers like The Sun and The Times, both owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.
In addition, copies of The Telegraph, Daily Mail, Evening Standard and some issues of The Guardian were also delayed.
Now, the government is trying to reclassify Extinction Rebellion and tighten restrictions on where protesters can legally stage, claims The Telegraph.
A government source told the newspaper: “It is clear that they are not your normal protest group, so you have to see them differently.”
It is unclear how the government would reclassify Extinction Rebellion or what this would mean for the group.
However, it is understood that ministers are considering giving the police new powers to prevent protesters from tampering with “principles of democracy,” such as votes in parliament and press distribution.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “A free press is vital to holding government and other powerful institutions accountable on issues critical to the future of our country, including the fight against climate change.
“It is completely unacceptable to try to limit the public’s access to news in this way.”
Extinction Rebellion responded through one of their Twitter accounts.
READ: Extinction Rebellion causes chaos in Westminster as activists BLOCK the entrance to Parliament
The Extinction Rebellion protests, called “We Want to Live” rallies, will run until September 14, having started on September 1.
The central action will involve activists sitting in the street outside Parliament to “maintain a constant presence” until the minister approves the Draft Law on Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE).
In January this year, it was claimed that the anti-terrorism police had included Extinction Rebellion in a list of extremist ideologies.
Police later recalled this decision and said the group was not extremist, according to The Guardian.
The EEC bill was presented last Wednesday. Its aim will be to ensure that the UK meets its responsibilities under the 2015 UN Paris Climate Agreement.
This will mean dramatically cutting UK carbon emissions to keep global temperatures within 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels, according to Green World.
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