Extinction Rebellion: Five Shrewsbury activists among first arrested at London demo
Five activists from Shrewsbury were among the first arrested on the first day of a major two-week demonstration in London.
Members of Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury have joined thousands from across the country in shutting down parts of the capital to draw attention to climate change and other environmental concerns.
But as the action began on Monday morning, Shrewsbury campaigners including Jo Blackman and Wren Miller found themselves in the back of a police van before sunrise.
They had been part of a group setting up a road block outside the Ministry of Defence and said they were arrested on suspicion of highways obstruction.
Jo said: "We might have been the first people arrested because we were trying to set up extra early. We were highlighting the contribution of the military as one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions."
Both women have been released under investigation and said they were not planning to get arrested again while the demonstrations are ongoing, but that there was always a possibility.
Wren added: "People want to place their marker in the sand and say 'enough is enough'. I know we will be inconveniencing people but this is a very, very serious matter."
