Helsinki, Jun 18 (Agency) Traffic is partially disrupted in the center of the Finnish capital due to a rally held by activists from the environmental movement Extinction Rebellion, the Helsinki police said on Friday. Environmental activists launched the demonstration outside the building of the Finnish parliament on Thursday morning, demanding that the authorities declare a climate emergency and take urgent actions to combat climate change. Some 120 demonstrators spent the night in tents and sleeping bags to continue the protest the next day.
On Friday morning, the police tried to convince the protesters to reschedule the protest, but the negotiations failed. “The police have not intervened so far in the demonstration in the Mannerheimintie street. The police believe that the demonstration is not currently causing undue damage to traffic, public order and safety. The police constantly monitor the situation and assess it,” the police said in a statement. This is not the first demonstration by the movement in Helsinki.