Extinction Rebellion protestors have been called out for the ludicrous claim that they’re like “freedom fighters in Ukraine”.
Speaking on GB News, Broadcaster Danny Kelly said he read an article where one climate activist from the group made the stark comparison.
Referring to former GB News guest, activist Verel Rodrigues, Mr Kelly said: “This is how detached people like Verel and their views are from the average ordinary man and woman in the street.
“There is a real here and now crisis. How the hell does Verel expect pensioners to heat their homes up when they’re living on the breadline when the price of gas and electricity is shooting through the roof?"
The slam comes as protesters from Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion occupied the famous landmark and unfurled a green banner with black writing, which read “End fossil fuels now”.
The demonstrators suspended themselves from the bridge using cords, with police shutting it for several hours.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion stage a protest on Tower Bridge, east London, which has been closed to traffic
Victoria Jones
The action by Extinction Rebellion, which is calling for an end to all new fossil fuel infrastructure, comes after eight days of disruption at oil facilities by the group and the Just Stop Oil coalition.
Mr Kelly said: "If I was a bobby on the beat in London this morning, I would quite simply ask my superintendent if I could get some garden shears and cut those two doomsday idiots off tower bridge.
“They’ve got a soft landing, get a boat to drag them out the Thames and process them that way."
Speaking on GB news beforehand, climate activist Verel said: “'I feel like we are in a very dire situation.
“We've tried everything in the normal way to bring about change, to raise awareness.'
We saw loads of companies who were interested in taking climate action come to Scotland [COP26] to discuss what we can do about the climate crisis.
"They set goals and they set targets, but what are we seeing from that?
Extinction Rebellion activist Verel Rodrigues speaking to GB News presenter Nana Akua
GB News
"We’re seeing none of those targets being met. In fact the government is backtracking on its net-zero targets by investing more into fossil fuels and they’ve now got about 14 new oil and gas projects in their pipelines."
Officers cleared the Tower Bridge protesters by 11.40am, escorting them into police vehicles, and the bridge was reopened at midday.
The stunt by the environmental group caused frustration among members of the public, who had to find alternative routes to work.
Ben Hersh, 24, an office worker who regularly uses the bridge to get to work, said the protesters should “grow up” and “stop taking aim at regular people”.
“I know that climate issues are important, but why are we always targeted?” he said
“They need to grow up, stop doing stupid stunts, stop taking aim at regular people and maybe more people would do things to help them and the environment.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan said that the protest was “counterproductive”.
Speaking at the launch of Labour’s local election campaign in Barnet, north London, the London mayor said: “I think one of the things that those who feel passionate about something have to do is to win over public opinion at the same time as putting pressure on the government.
“My concern is some of the actions of XR discourage people from joining the campaign and don’t affect government policy.
“I think all campaigns or protests should be peaceful, lawful and safe and I’m concerned that some of the tactics being used are counterproductive”.
In an interview with GB News, Tory MP John Redwood pleaded with the eco-protesters not to "wreck everybody else's lives".
The MP for Wokingham said: "They've got to understand that practically everybody in this country relies on oil and gas for many features of their life.
"They may need it for their home heating, they may need for their transport, they certainly need it for the production and the delivery of their food.
"They need it for their hospitals to be working with with warm wards and warm surgeries for GPs...elderly people's homes are heated by gas, so it'd be very cruel to stop it.
"All these things depend on oil and gas. So I would plead with them not to wreck everybody else's lives by trying to deliberately disrupt the supply that's crucial energy."
He continued: "By all means, campaign to take us on an energy transformation so, that in the future, more of those things can be done with renewables and electricity, but be realistic!"
Broadcaster Danny Kelly speaking on GB News
GB News