They have glued themselves to roads, cracked windows, and delayed thousands of frustrated commuters.
Now Extinction Rebellion has pledged to leave the locks and glue at home and temporarily stop using public disruption as a protest tool, because “very little has changed”.
The protest group, which campaigns for radical government action on climate change, has said that it will work to “disrupt the abuse of power and imbalance” rather than carrying out protests which frustrate the public.
Hundreds of its activists have been arrested after blockading traffic, locking and gluing themselves together and spray-painting buildings but, despite their efforts, XR said “very little has changed — emissions continue to rise and our planet is dying at an accelerated rate”.
In a statement and campaign launched yesterday, XR said: “As we ring in the new year, we make a controversial resolution to temporarily shift away from public disruption as a primary tactic.
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“We recognise and celebrate the power of disruption to raise the alarm and believe that constantly evolving tactics is a necessary approach.
“What’s needed now most is to disrupt the abuse of power and imbalance, to bring about a transition to a fair society that works together to end the fossil fuel era. Our politicians, addicted to greed and bloated on profits won’t do it without pressure.”
The pledge does not extend to some of the other radical environmentalist groups which have closed down motorways and staged demonstrations in museums in recent months.
Neither Just Stop Oil, which shares its founders with XR, nor Insulate Britain has pledged to change tactics.
Extinction Rebellion was founded in 2018. Within two weeks of releasing its manifesto, more than 60 activists had been arrested for their participation. Over the next year, its activists blocked roads in dozens of towns and cities, glued themselves to buildings and some even plotted to disrupt flights out of Heathrow.
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The group is calling for 100,000 people to join its next protest, surrounding the Houses of Parliament from April 21 to mark 100 days of the new year.
Its activists believe issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and ongoing strikes may provide a “unique opportunity” to mobilise and reach people who have not previously been involved in its protests.
It said: “We must be radical in our response to this crisis and determined in our efforts to address the climate and ecological emergency, even if it means taking a different approach than before.”
