Oil, gas production to continue even as climate protests continue in the UK

The United Kingdom will not stop oil and gas production in the country despite ongoing large-scale protests by environmental activists, says Energy Secretary

The United Kingdom will not stop oil and gas production in the country despite ongoing large-scale protests by environmental activists, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng said on Wednesday.

Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion movement began a series of large-scale protests dubbed April Rebellion in London on Saturday, demanding an immediate end to all new investments in fossil fuels. Earlier on Wednesday, the movement reported that protesters, including scientists, were gluing themselves to government buildings and posted video evidence on Twitter.

"My message to XR activists gluing (?!) themselves to my Department: You cannot - and we won't - switch off domestic oil and gas production. Doing so would put energy security, jobs and industries at risk - and would simply increase foreign imports, not reduce demand," Kwarteng tweeted.

Meanwhile, Moscow expelled a senior Czech diplomat in a tit-for-tat response to Prague.

According to the Foreign Ministry, it summoned the Czech ambassador earlier in the day to protest Prague's recent decision on expelling a senior Russian diplomat.

"The ambassador was handed a note from the ministry about the announcement of a senior diplomat of the Czech embassy in Moscow a persona non grata in response, who was ordered to leave the territory of Russia before the end of the day on April 16," the ministry said in a statement, Sputnik reported.

According to the UK's Extinction Rebellion website, protests are also scheduled for April 10, 13, 15, 16 and 17.

In April, the Extinction Rebellion joined forces with other movements to block oil facilities across the UK in an effort to draw attention to the environmental damage and corruption that fuel extraction causes. More than 200 people have been arrested across the UK for obstructing businesses, according to the police.