COP26: Thousands descend on Glasgow for Global Day of Action
Tens of thousands of activists have gathered in Glasgow, for the biggest climate protest of COP26.
Last updated 6th Nov 2021
Tens of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Glasgow, for the biggest march of COP26.
Activists braved pouring rain and winds to march through the city, where the UN climate conference is being held, while other demonstrations took place around the UK.
A fire engine, women covered in moss and Poseidon on stilts all turned out for the protest in Glasgow, while a group of children guided a display featuring what appeared to be a large snake wearing glasses through Kelvingrove Park.
They then headed for a rally at Glasgow Green, where campaigner Vanessa Nakate addressed the crowd.
Socialist groups including the Scottish Socialist Party and International Socialist Alternative have been seen chanting and dancing on the street, before the march through the city moves off.
NGOs including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), among whose cohort is a person in a panda suit, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have a presence ahead of the march.
Jason Cook, 54, from Wootton Bassett has said he and two friends are marching through Glasgow because they were tired of hearing "blah, blah, blah" from leaders on climate action.
He said: "We don't want to hear any more blah, blah, blah."
The three men had come to the march wearing helmets, each adorned with a sign which said "blah", echoing the description of the Cop26 summit by 18-year-old activist Greta Thunberg.
See information about planned road closures on Saturday here.
Elsewhere, activists from Scientist Rebellion blocked the King George V Bridge at the Broomielaw in Glasgow.
They were removed by police after around three hours.
And a small group of protestors also staged a demonstration outside Glasgow Airport early on Saturday morning.
READ MORE: Climate activists planning disruption at 10 UK airports
On Friday, around 10,000 school children also took part in a march through the city.
It was led by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, the founder of the Fridays for Future movement.
WATCH: Greta Thunberg brands COP26 a "failure"
The latest demonstrations come midway through the Cop26 summit, which has seen about 120 leaders gather in Glasgow to set out the action they are taking and commit to curb deforestation, phase out coal, end funding for fossil fuels abroad and cut methane emissions.
But there is still a significant gap between the measures countries have committed to and what is needed to avoid more than 1.5C of warming, beyond which the worst floods, droughts, storms and rising seas of climate change will be felt.
As the protests take place, negotiations continue at Cop26, while the conference is also focusing on the role of nature, land use and agriculture in tackling climate change on Saturday.
Greta Thunberg at a rally in Glasgow
Young speaker at Greta Thunberg rally
Protest in George Square at Cop26
Extinction Rebellion march reaches the Squinty Bridge near Cop26 venue in Finnieston
Protesters at the Greenwash march organised by Extinction Rebellion
Giant pokemon characters coal protest at Cop26
Tree man on stilts at Cop26 Extinction Rebellion protest in Glasgow
Cop26 protest on the steps of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
An activist taking part in a protest outside the Cop26 venue on the last day of climate talks