Six people arrested over plot to disrupt London Stock Exchange
All of those arrested remain in custody as of Sunday evening
Six people have been arrested over plans to "disrupt" the London Stock Exchange, the Metropolitan Police said on Sunday.
It was alleged that activists from the Palestine Action group were planning to prevent the building from opening for trading on Monday.
The Express, who carried out an investigation into the group's activities and initially tipped off police, reported that the plot would kickstart a planned “week of chaos”, while the Met added that there was a “suggestion that this was one part of a planned week of action”.
The newspaper said the group hoped to cause “huge economic damage” by climbing on top of two revolving doors at the front of the building, armed with red paint-filled fire extinguishers, before locking their necks to the glass entrance using bike locks.
Other activists would lock themselves together in front of the main and back entrances, while fake bank notes, painted red to represent blood, were fired from “money guns”.
Met officers working alongside colleagues from Merseyside Police arrested a 31-year-old man in Liverpool on suspicion of conspiracy to cause criminal damage.
A further five people, all believed to be part of the same plot, were arrested later on Sunday for the same offence.
A 29-year-old woman was arrested in Albert Road, Brent, north London, and a 23-year-old man was arrested in Voss Street, Tower Hamlets, east London.
Two women, aged 28 and 26, were arrested in Liverpool, and a 27-year-old man was arrested in Brighton, East Sussex.
Detective Superintendent Sian Thomas described the arrests as "significant".
"We believe this group was ready to carry out a disruptive and damaging stunt which could have had serious implications had it been carried out successfully," Ms Thomas said in a statement.
“Mindful of the suggestion that this was one part of a planned week of action, we are in contact with the City of London Police as well as other forces across the UK to ensure that appropriate resources are in place to deal with any disruption in the coming days,” she said.
The Palestine Action group told the Press Association: “The London Stock Exchange raise billions of pounds for apartheid Israel and trade shares in weapons manufacturers which arm Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people.
“Whilst Britain remains complicit in the brutal colonisation of Palestine, our direct action campaign will not be deterred.”
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