Extinction Rebellion ‘die’ outside Town Hall one year since Sheffield Council declared climate emergency

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Around 100 protesters joined Extinction Rebellion outside the landmark building ahead of the meeting, to mark one year since Sheffield Council announced a climate emergency.

They marched along Pinstone Street, banging drums and waving a large skeleton, placards and banners – some which read ‘tell the truth’ and ‘act now’ – before ‘dying’ on the floor.

Nathan Strathdee, of Extinction Rebellion Sheffield, said: “Since the council declared a climate emergency they promised action, a citizens assembly and that they would be carbon neutral by 2030 and so far they have done nothing.

Protesters pretend to die outside Sheffield Town Hall to symbolise how the planet is suffering from climate change.

“We are here to tell them to stop wasting our time and to deliver on the climate crisis now.

“We want to see a citizens’ assembly which is a way of bringing the public in and letting them make the decisions about what needs to happen.

“We also want to see them taking action that other cities such as Leeds and Nottingham have which is improving public transport, reducing the support for flying and things like that – there are a whole host of things they could do.”

A number of people also took to the steps to speak about the issue.

Extinction Rebellion protesters hold up a skeleton at the demonstration outside Sheffield Town Hall.

The protest took place an hour before a full council meeting, in which more than a dozen people asked questions about what was being done to protect the environment and protesters boycotted the chamber with banners, wearing gas masks and singing.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, leader of Sheffield Green Party, also put forward a motion calling for more action on climate change.

He said: “The council has made commitments declaring a climate emergency and promised to be net zero by 2030 but it was done purely for political opportunism, it clearly hasn’t been thought through and they have no idea how to do it. A year later and we still aren’t off the starting blocks.”

Coun Mark Jones, cabinet member for climate change, said in the meeting they were doing “all they could” to tackle the climate emergency and would look to set up a citizens assembly.