Climate protesters vow to halt London action if U.K. government discusses their demands

Climate change protesters who have brought parts of London to a standstill said Sunday they were prepared to call a halt if the U.K. government would discuss their demands. Some 831 arrests have been made and 42 people charged in connection with the ongoing Extinction Rebellion protests. On the seventh day of the demonstrations, which have occupied key spots in the British capital, Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg addressed the protesters, telling them: “Humanity is standing at a crossroads.” Organizers said they were willing to switch tactics from disruption to dialogue if the government entered talks. “We are prepared to pause, should the government come to the negotiating table,” Extinction Rebellion spokesman James Fox told AFP. “What the pause looks like is us stopping an escalation,” he added. “We can discuss leaving if they are willing to discuss our demands. At the moment, we haven’t received a response from the government … so we’re waiting on that.” Extinction Rebellion was established last year in the U.K. by academics, and has become one of the world’s fastest-growing environmental movements.