To think that if any other organisation than Extinction Rebellion tried (and spectacularly failed) to spray The Treasury with fake blood, they wouldn't have got anywhere near the place?

[Gone2far]

Why are the Police so lenient about people doing this? It's like them watching the disruption of the WPUK meeting in Brighton.
If it was Tommy Robinson (not that I support him) they'd move him on in a shot.
And will they be expected to pay for cleaning up the mess? I doubt it.

You are not wrong. I mean, I support Extinction Rebellion, I think it's great, but you sure as a shiny shite are right that no-one else would get away with it.

I think the police are probably in favour of Extinction Rebellion. I know I am.

I'm stunned that they managed to get hold of a fire engine though! How did they do that?

Every time someone starts talking about XR, I recommend reading the book Rise Up, Women! By Diane Atkinson. It is about the militant suffragette movement, which I vaguely knew about but had no idea how serious it was. They were basically violent, inconvenient terrorists who refused to be ignored. Brutality by the police were one of the most convincing tools they had to convert people to the idea that women deserved a say in their own future. XR WILL become more militant, and it is when the everyday users of MN become members and start realising that their kids' lives and futures are in jeopardy, that the real militancy for climate change will happen.

So, what you're saying is that the police are letting them do whatever stunts they want because applying so kind of restraint on them would make them more popular?

Horse Guards is a public road. Apparently they bought the fire engine on ebay, and the police wouldn't have particularly noticed a slightly unusual fire engine until it parked. They're usually busy advising lost tourists. The police seem neutral towards XR - the protesters aren't abusive to the police which makes a pleasant change from most police interactions, and they're racking up overtime.

Bbc says arrests have been made for criminal damage.

It’s not illegal to have an old fire truck. Police can’t be everywhere. I think the police would happily shove extinction rebellion in a boat and ship them off to China. Some of them are nasty vile hypocritical morons.