Dame Emma Thompson urges politicians to ‘listen up’ at London nature march
The actress joined TV naturalists Chris Packham and Steve Backshall and 60,000 protesters on the Restore Nature Now march.
Dame Emma Thompson told politicians is to “listen up” as she led thousands of people on a nature march in London.
More than 350 charities, businesses and direct action groups were taking part in the Restore Nature Now march on Saturday, along with Dame Emma, businessman Dale Vince and naturalists Chris Packham and Steve Backshall.
“I mean, I presume they feel the same concern as we do, but they’re not talking about it much. So that’s been very disappointing.
“It’s probably the most important issue of our day, and we’re losing our countryside at the rate of knots.”
Dame Emma said: “We need to actually observe and honour the promises that we have made decade upon decade at every single agreement that we then have reneged on, I mean, in the most extraordinarily blinding ways.
“David Cameron went and signed the Paris Agreement, came back and then signed off on 200 fracking contracts. That’s just, that’s just beyond hypocrisy. It’s just wrong. And we are all suffering for it. All of us.
“We have had governments who’ve just taken absolutely no notice. And there is not nearly enough discussion about that.”
Banners reading “There’s No life Without Wildlife”, “There Isn’t A Reset Button” and “Make MPs A Rare Species” were visible in a sea of green foliage and wildlife cut-outs as people marched past Hyde Park and towards Whitehall.
Chants of “Restore nature now” echoed down the line of protesters, as people rang bells, whistled and cheered.
Packham told the PA news agency: “I’m here along with all of these other people to share a commonality of purpose.
“We love life, we want to protect our life. We want to protect our children’s lives and the lives and everything that creeps, crawls, slithers, slimes and stings on this planet, because we know we have the capacity to do that.”
He added: “What we need to do today is send a clear message to the future government that we need to do it now.”
Packham said his message to politicians was: “We’re here today, we’re going to make a very polite, pleasant noise. But we’re not going away. We’re going to make a last stand for nature. And we will be banging on that door on July 5, if you don’t listen to us.”
“The booing was because they’re useless in acting against any policies to do with wildlife. It’s the booing of all politicians,” said Gary Smith, 64, an ex-veteran from Eastbourne.
