Climate march in London says 'NO' to fracking

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

01/25

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Building the fake pipeline from the US embassy to the Canadian embassy at the start of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

02/25

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'Fracking workers' pose in front of the fracking rig erected opposite Parliament at the end of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

03/25

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Anti-nuclear protester outside US embassy at start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

04/25

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Protester with message 'Ice Melts London Floods' at start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

05/25

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Protesters with 'Keep 'Fracking' out of the UK' placards gather in front of the US Embassy for the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

06/25

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Japanese anti-nuclear protester with Fukushima mask, placard and lantern at start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

07/25

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Anti-nuclear protester with Japanese Fukushima mask and Chernobyl children's art work at start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

08/25

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Anti-nuclear protester with Japanese Fukushima mask and placard at start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

09/25

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Japanese anti-nuclear protester with placard 'Nucleaer Power is Dangerous' in front ot the US embassy for National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

10/25

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Crowd with 'Keep Fracking out of the UK' and hand embroidered 'Save Our Green Earth' in front of US Embassy during rally at start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

11/25

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Crowd with banners and placards at rally at US Embassy at start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

12/25

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Woman holds length of pipeline in front of US embassy as protesters start to build a pipeline from there to the Canadian embassy before National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

13/25

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Japanese anti-nuclear protester and start of pipeline from US to Canadian embassies being built at start of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

14/25

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Building the pipeline from the US embassy to the Canadian embassy at the start of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

15/25

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Japanese anti-nuclear protesters with Fukushima poster image on their heads watch the pipeline being built at the start of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

16/25

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Protesters, one holding a sign 'Shale Gas - Fractured Logic', hold the fake pipeline from the US embassy to the Canadian embassy at the start of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

17/25

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Protesters outside the Canadian embassy wait for the start of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

18/25

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Japanese anti-nuclear protesters in the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

19/25

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Man wearing 'George Osborne' mask with messages 'I've Got Gas!' and 'keep calm and drill on' and Green Party member with sunflower on National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

20/25

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Protester in gas mask from Sussex with placard and poster agasing fracking on National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

21/25

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Anti-fracking banners and jacket in front of Parliament at end of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

22/25

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Protesters erect the huge mock fracking rig in Old Palace Yard opposite Parliament at end of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

23/25

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The mock fracking rig erected in front of Parliament with the message 'No Fracking in the UK' at end of National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

24/25

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'George Osborne' and 'Fracking workers' pose in front of the fracking rig erected opposite Parliament at the end of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

$Climate march in London says NO to fracking$

25/25

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Protesters pose around the fracking rig in front of Parliament at the end of the National Climate March against tar sands and fracking.

Report current story

On the Global Day of Action on Climate Change, activists laid a fake pipeline from the US to Canadian embassies, before marching to Parliament to erect a giant mock fracking rig with the message 'No Fracking in the UK'.

The protest aimed to highlight the dangers of using shale oil and tar sands for energy, both of which would lead to excessive global warming and make reaching the targets set for carbon emissions impossible. Other concerns related to climate change were also represented in banners, placards and posters, including the melting of Arctic sea ice - now expected to disappear completely in the summer by 2015 and the dangers of nuclear energy, made very clear at Fukushima, with a number of Japanese anti-nuclear activists taking part in the protest.

The event started with a short rally outside the US Embassy, chosen because the dirty energy lobby in the USA, led by companies including the Koch Brothers, has succeeded in making the US the main barrier to effective climate action over the years. Their success led to an effective total silence over climate change as an issue in the recent US election - until Hurricane Sandy forced it onto the agenda at a very late stage. The US is also a leader in 'fracking', going ahead with it a full speed despite the problems of contamination of water tables it has been shown to cause.

At the end of the rally people began to collect the long 'pipes' to build the pipeline from the front of the US embassy to the Canadian Canadian High Commission at the opposite end of Grosvenor Square to show their outrage at the continued exploitation of high-carbon tar sands. There were just about enough pipes to stretch the length of the square - about 250 metres, but it wasn't really possible to see the whole thing as it had to go along the pavement rather than through the gardens in the centre.

The march then formed up along the side of the square, with around a thousand people, and set off towards Berkeley Square and then past Piccadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square and Whitehall to Parliament.

I had left the march soon after the start to photograph some other events, and returned to Old Palace Yard just before the mock fracking rig was raised. After this the rally there continued with speeches from Eve Macnamara from REAF (Ribble Estuary against Fracking), John McDonnell MP (Labour, Hayes and Harlington) and Natalie Bennett (leader, Green party).