'A new phase' Activists turn to sabotage to attack the fossil fuel economy

It was raining as two young men made their way through the City of London, which appeared deserted, save for a few police and private security. At Lime Street, they stopped by a manhole. One took off the cover, located a bundle of black cables, and began hacking away.

- Damien Gayle

Hours later, an email was circulated to news organisations: "Internet cut off to hundreds of insurers in climate-motivated sabotage."

Five years ago, activists from Extinction Rebellion and the school strikes movement believed getting huge numbers of people on the streets could persuade the powerful to change course. Then protesters from groups such as Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil put their bodies and freedom on the line to disrupt business as usual in an effort to concentrate minds.

Now some activists have begun to escalate the campaign, carrying out acts of sabotage against the corporations they see as responsible for the destruction of the climate.

In a manifesto published on the WordPress blogging platform, Shut the System (STS), the group that claimed credit for the action in the City that took place in January, said it aimed to "kickstart a new phase of the climate activist movement, aiming to shut down key actors in the fossil fuel economy".