The VERY recognisable face of Extinction Rebellion protests, 31, who is a vegan politics student, takes her clothes off to 'draw attention to the climate crisis' and says her FATHER supports her topless stunts
A vegan Extinction Rebellion protester who is also a politics student stripped off again today before posing topless next to a police officer as the activists caused more chaos by daubing red paint over City of London buildings.
Laura Amherst, 31, who lives in Brighton, has made a name for herself during this week's demonstrations in the capital by dancing topless with just two XR stickers covering her naked breasts.
Miss Amherst drives a hybrid car and lives with her boyfriend in a home with renewable energy. She has said her boyfriend and father back her decision to strip off, but 'this is my body and I'm my own woman'.
And the activist, who claims to be a committed member of XR along with her boyfriend, was at it again today as her fellow protesters daubed red paint over the Standard Chartered headquarters and Guildhall building.
Today, the demonstrators were also seen protesting outside the Bank of England as they continued to bring major disruption to the capital's streets while the first week of a planned fortnight of action continues.
Extinction Rebellion climate activist Laura Amherst, 31, poses next to a police officer during the XR protest in London today
Miss Amherst, 31, from Brighton, has made a name for herself by dancing topless during this week's protests (pictured today)
Miss Amherst, in the City of London today, has said she is doing the topless protest to 'draw attention to the climate crisis'
Miss Amherst is a vegan who drives a hybrid car and lives with her boyfriend in a home with renewable energy
Miss Amherst had earlier posted on Instagram, encouraging people to join her at the protest at the Bank of England today
Miss Amherts poses with a fan while carrying out another topless Extinction Rebellion protest in Oxford Circus on Wednesday
Miss Amherst, who is studying politics at the Open University, also stripped off at the protests at Oxford Circus on Wednesday
Politics student Miss Amherst, who has been attending the XR protests this week, is pictured in her Facebook profile pictures
Miss Ahmerst has said dancing topless 'brought a nice energy to the protest and was also a very body positive thing to do'
Earlier this week Miss Amherst, who is studying politics at the Open University, told MailOnline of her naked protests: 'I did it to draw attention to the climate crisis facing the planet.
'Dancing topless brought a nice energy to the protest and was also a very body positive thing to do. A lot of people congratulated me for doing this, especially women.
'I'm not getting paid for this or doing it to draw attention to myself but just to save the planet. My boyfriend has been very supportive about my decision to go topless as has my father.
'But it's got nothing to do with them because this is my body and I'm my own woman. They both know how passionate I am about saving the planet. I wasn't nervous about it at all and I felt that it made a lot of people happy.
'If me taking my clothes off can help save the planet then why not. I made the decision on Monday at the start of the protest campaign. It was my own choice, it had nothing to do with anybody else.'
She revealed that she is a vegan, who drives a hybrid car and lives in a home with her boyfriend that has renewable energy, adding: 'We are doing all that we can to save the planet.'
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Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion sit over the entrance to Standard Chartered's headquarters in London today
Police officers stand in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall in the City of London today after it was daubed in paint
A climate activist from Extinction Rebellion on top of fake blood smeared on the floor of London's Paternoster Square today
Extinction Rebellion demonstrators are marching in the City of London today as their two weeks of protest action continues
Extinction Rebellion activists sit on the entrances to Standard Chartered's headquarters today after daubing it in red paint
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion shout as others sit on the entrance to Standard Chartered's headquarters today
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion gather around the entrance to the headquarters of Standard Chartered today
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Activists targeted the City of London Corporation's headquarters at the Guildhall today where police were later pictured
Police officers stand in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall in London today after it was daubed in red paint
A police officer stands in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall today after it was daubed in paint
Police officers stand in front of one of the buildings of the Guildhall following the action by Extinction Rebellion today
Samba bands chanted and hundreds of XR demonstrators handed out stickers to City workers during what they called a 'Blood Money' march targeting financial institutions and bankers in the capital.
Some of them dressed as suffragettes while others pretended to bankers and covered their hands in fake blood, with the aim of bringing about more awareness over investments in fossil fuels.
City of London Police said its officers were in attendance and 'a number of arrests have been made for criminal damage'. Scotland Yard has not yet confirmed any arrests today, but the week's total stood at 289 yesterday.
A City of London Police spokesman said today: 'The City of London Police is working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service and British Transport Police to appropriately and proportionately respond to protest activity in the City of London.
'Officers are currently in attendance at a number of locations in the City to ensure balance between the right to protest and the rights of Londoners to go about their daily lives.'
This afternoon, several protesters climbed on top of Standard Chartered's headquarters and covered it in red paint, which XR claimed represented the 'blood of ancestors and slaves who haven't been forgotten'.
Activists during an Extinction Rebellion protest in London today which is part of the two-week demonstration by the group
A climate activist from the Extinction Rebellion group on top of fake blood smeared on the floor of Paternoster Square today
Members of Extinction Rebellion dancing in fake blood in Paternoster Square in London this afternoon
Protesters cover Paternoster Square in fake blood and coins during an Extinction Rebellion 'Blood Money' march
Members of Extinction Rebellion dancing in fake blood at Paternoster Square in London this afternoon
: Protesters cover Paternoster Square in fake blood and coins during an Extinction Rebellion demonstration today
Activists during an Extinction Rebellion climate protest in London this afternoon
Others targeted the City of London Corporation's headquarters at the Guildhall, where a line of police were photographed outside after the building had also been daubed in red paint.
XR co-founder Gail Bradbrook told the Guardian: 'It's one thing for a nose-ringed activist like me to (call for change), but what we really want is people in the City to come out and say 'yeah we need to change course'.'
Dr Bradbook also hit out at a political economy that is 'hell bent on economic growth' – and XR has also been urging City workers to anonymously blow the whistle on stories about their companies.
It comes after activists descended on Buckingham Palace yesterday on a fourth day of chaos. Demonstrators daubed paint on the Queen Victoria Memorial in front of the palace gates and dyed its fountain water red.
Climate activists from the Extinction Rebellion organisation march through the City of London today
Extinction Rebellion climate activists hold a banner during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today
Demonstrators during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England in the City of London today
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Demonstrators dressed as suffragettes during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England today
Demonstrators during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England in the City of London today
Demonstrators hold banners as the Extinction Rebellion action continues outside the Bank of England in London today
Demonstrators hold placards during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England in London today
Demonstrators dressed as bankers with red paint on their hands take part in the Extinction Rebellion protest today
Demonstrators dressed as suffragettes during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion at the Bank of England today
The protesters, from an offshoot group called Animal Rebellion, held banners reading Animal Agriculture: A Royal Blood Bath. The fountain vandals were immediately arrested.
Thousands of people have been trapped in gridlock in the centre of the city as traffic was halted and public transport held up in the groups's week of protest.
Yesterday demonstrators, estimated to be in the low thousands, also blocked off Hyde Park Corner and protested at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
And in response to a video showing activists in a bizarre performance centred around a broccoli, policing minister Kit Malthouse tweeted: 'Please go back to your homes and jobs Extinction Rebellion and let all those cops get back to fighting crime.'
An Extinction Rebellion climate activist paints his face during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion with fake blood on their hands demonstrate at the Bank of England today
An Extinction Rebellion activist wearing a protective face mask looks on during a protest outside the Bank of England today
Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion with fake blood on their hands demonstrate outside the Bank of England today
Extinction Rebellion climate activists hold a banner during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today
Extinction Rebellion climate activists take part in a protest outside the Bank of England in London today
An Extinction Rebellion climate activist holds a newspaper as he sits down during a protest outside the Bank of England today
A climate activist from the Extinction Rebellion group demonstrates outside the Bank of England in the City of London today
Extinction Rebellion climate activists hold a banner during a protest outside the Bank of England in London today
An Extinction Rebellion climate activist with a painted face takes part in a protest outside the Bank of England today
Extinction Rebellion climate activists take part in a protest outside the Bank of England in London today
Extinction Rebellion has set up camp for two weeks on Blackheath Common in South East London, pictured today
The video, from a previous protest in London by the group, recently went viral after being posted online again. It includes people crowding around the vegetable and pointing at it. At one point, one covers it with a hat.
Actress Emma Thompson also urged the public to join Extinction Rebellion's protests yesterday.
The 62-year-old, who was previously mocked for travelling 5,400 miles from Los Angeles to the group's climate protests in London by private jet in 2019, said people must 'help in whatever ways they can'.
She said in a video yesterday that the activists were not 'dropout, anarchistic outsiders', adding: 'They are rebels, if you like, who have the greatest cause in human history, nothing less than the survival of the planet.'
The Metropolitan Police said they arrested seven protesters yesterday, bringing the week's total to 289.