A climate change protester in London, England dressed like….broccoli was arrested by police, and, of course, there’s video. According to CBS News, it was all part of big climate change protests in London. The broccoli floret…er, man carried a sign that read, “I’m locally sourced and environmentally friendly.”
Turns out his name is Roland. Seriously.
In what was an unintentionally (or probably purposely) hilarious tweet, journalist Andrew Marshall, a special correspondent for Reuters, wrote, “Well, that was a first in a long journalistic career. I just filmed police on Oxford Street arrest an @XRebellionUK protester dressed like broccoli. As they cuffed him, he cried ‘Free the pea!’ and held aloft a floret of broccoli like it was the liberty torch.”
The subsequent Reuters headline said it all: “London police arrest protester dressed as broccoli – News.” The jokes flew: “This broccoli, selflessly advocates for other veggies by yelling ‘Give peas a chance’ while getting arrested. True hero!” wrote one Twitter user. “Is broccoli really illegal in London? Is it a danger to the public?” wrote another.
Here’s video of his arrest:
Well, that was a first in a long journalistic career. I just filmed police on Oxford Street arrest an @XRebellionUK protester dressed like broccoli. As they cuffed him, he cried “Free the pea!” and held aloft a floret of broccoli like it was the liberty torch.
Another person joked: “I am in full admiration. It took 3 officers to arrest a stick of broccoli. Just imagine it had been a bag of Brussel sprouts.” To which someone else retorted, “Leave Brussels out of it.”
Police banned the protesters from the city, where they’d been camped out in Trafalgar Square, according to CBS. The group staging the protest is called Extinction Rebellion. But the guy getting the most attention was the guy dressed like a large piece of broccoli. One observer wrote on Twitter, “my fave thing abt working on oxford street and whatever was happening today is getting to see a guy dressed as broccoli being arrested.”
Marshall later revealed, “Mr Broccoli’s real name is Roland, of the Extinction Rebellion offshoot @RebelsAnimal. They say he was detained under section 14 of the Public Order Act but later released. In April, he and other climate protesters bared their buttocks in the House of Commons.”
A climate change protester dressed in a broccoli costume shouts, “Give peas a chance!” as he’s arrested in London t.co/TFnFTeNOsM
Photos of the man dressed as broccoli were widely shared on Twitter, with one man writing, “A humble broccoli gets arrested on Oxford Street #ExtinctionRebellion #animalrebellion.” The Independent reported that the protests have resulted in more than 1,300 arrests.
A humble broccoli gets arrested on Oxford Street #ExtinctionRebellion #animalrebellion
Here’s what you need to know:
When They Weren’t Dressing as Broccoli, Protesters Glued Themselves to Buildings
Don’t know about you but I have way more faith in broccoli guy than I do in Boris Johnson.
Free broccoli guy, arrest Boris!
According to Indy100, the goal of the protests was to cause the most disruption possible. As a result, some activists glued themselves to buildings.
The jokes flew widely on Twitter. People just couldn’t help themselves. “Note to self, never wear my broccoli outfit when I visit London, unless I want to get collard by the police,” wrote one person.
“is he accused of stalking,” joked another. “I think he definitely has a slawsuit on his hands.”
Sure enough, someone else was dressed as a peapod.
Correction! He said, “Give peace/peas a chance.” The cry of “Free the pea!” went up when THIS @XRebellionUK protester was arrested.
The activists are demanding major change to protect the climate. “I just watched three policemen arrest a guy dressed as broccoli – on the pavement, holding a cardboard sign!” a man wrote. Another opined, “Leave the broccoli alone. Find and arrest criminals, one can’t barely go outside without being stabbed anymore and y’all arresting veggies.”