About 100,000 people marched in Glasgow to demand more action on the climate crisis, organisers have said.
The protest was the biggest so far during the COP26 summit and took place alongside hundreds of similar events around the world.
Greta Thunberg joined the march but did not speak, leaving activists such as Vanessa Nakate to address a rally.
Police arrested 21 scientists who chained themselves together and blocked a road bridge over the River Clyde.
The “Global Day of Action for Climate Justice” march started at Kelvingrove Park in the west of the city and Queen’s Park in the south at about midday and made its way along a pre-agreed three-mile route to Glasgow Green.
About 100 climate change demonstrations were held in other parts of the UK while events were also taking place in a further 100 countries including Kenya, Turkey, France, Brazil, Australia and Canada.
In London, protesters marched from the Bank of England to Trafalgar Square while another large demonstration happened in Cardiff.
The opening speeches at the protest rally at Glasgow Green came from representatives of indigenous people around the globe.
Ugandan activist Vanessa Nakate later told protesters: “The climate and ecological crises are already here. But so are citizens from around the globe.
“Leaders rarely have the courage to lead. It takes citizens, people like you and me, to rise up and demand action. And when we do that in great enough numbers, our leaders will move.”
It was understood that Greta Thunberg decided to give space to other speakers as she had already addressed youth activists in a march and rally on Friday.
Away from the march, 21 protesters from Scientist Rebellion were arrested after chaining themselves together on the King George V Bridge in Glasgow city centre.
Charlie Gardner, an associate senior lecturer at Durell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, said scientists could not “rely on our leaders to save us anymore” and had a “moral duty to act”.
He tweeted: “Over 15,000 scientists declared that we’re in a climate emergency, but most aren’t acting as if it’s an emergency.
“We’re taking this action to encourage others, scientists and all people, to rise up in rebellion against the system that is killing everything.”
Police Scotland closed the bridge to pedestrians and vehicles during the protest.
A spokesperson said: “We have facilitated a peaceful protest, but to balance right to protest with public safety and rights of the wider community, our protest removal team is safely removing protesters.”
World leaders and representatives who came to Glasgow for the climate change summit have so far made promises 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.
Countries are under pressure to agree on actions for the next decade, finance loans for developing countries to cope with the crisis and finalise the last parts of how the global Paris Agreement on climate change will work.
Asad Rehman, a spokesperson for the COP Coalition, said: “We are taking to the streets across the world this weekend to push governments from climate inaction to climate justice.
“This has been the least accessible climate summit ever – with so many people side-lined at the talks or not able to make it in the first place. Today those people are having their voices heard.”
Representatives of indigenous communities from North and South America joined the march in Glasgow.
Some have no formal representation at COP26, despite living at the frontline of environmental destruction caused by mining or deforestation, because they are not recognised by their governments.
Marchers came from across the UK to take part in the Glasgow march, including surfers from Cornwall.
Edinburgh COP Coalition put on 13 coaches to travel to the event while a series of “Pedal on COP26” bike rides were organised from more than 20 areas of Scotland, the longest rides being from Inverness, Aberdeen and Dumfries setting off on Friday.
The cyclists brought up the rear of the march, which took near two hours to leave Kelvingrove Park, making the line of protesters almost two miles (3.2km) long.
Police said they blocked a section of the crowd between Holland Street and St Vincent Street because of “congestion issues”.
“Following an escalation in their conduct a small number of people from the group who deliberately stopped on the parade route at the junction of Holland Street and St Vincent Street were contained by police on the grounds of public safety,” a Police Scotland tweet said.
Bleak weather with heavy showers and gusts of wind greeted early arrivals to the march, but the weather improved over the afternoon.
High winds, however, continued to cause a problem, hampering efforts to set up the main stage at Glasgow Green. and speakers instead used the stage company’s lorry as a platform.
Saturday’s march came after many young activists – including striking school pupils – took part in a mass demonstration in the city on Friday.
Source: BBC
