A Reading climate activist has been charged with a public order offence following mass protests in London earlier this year.

Eloise Jones, 45, took part in the Extinction Rebellion (XR) protest because of “the almost surreal reality that we are facing the possibility of the end of life as we know it on this planet”.

She said she felt she had no other choice but to take part in the protest in April.

The Tilehurst-based climate campaigner will appear before the City of London Magistrates Court this Friday (October 4).

The activist is one of hundreds of people around the UK who were arrested for their part in the peaceful XR protests in April.

She has been charged with non-compliance with section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986, which gives police the power to order protesters to confine their protest to a certain place, keep the numbers down, and tell protestors when to stop.

Ms Jones said: “In February of this year, I attended an XR talk on the science behind climate change, and the very real threat to life.

“It shocked me, but I was not prepared to accept it at face value, and so I read up on it further, focussing on peer-reviewed scientific papers.

“The terrible message was the same: human beings have brought us, and many other life forms, to the edge of extinction.

“I became deeply concerned about the very real threat we are facing, and the almost surreal reality that we are facing the possibility of the end of life as we know it on this planet.

“I watched in disbelief as our government not only fails to act but commits to new and aggressive projects of devastation and pollution, including the expansion of Heathrow, the HS2 and fracking.

“In doing so, it is also giving out the message of ‘business as usual.’

“As a human being with a conscience, I felt I had no other choice than to take part in the protest at the non-violent XR rebellion in April, for the sake of my community, children, future grandchildren, all species everywhere, and for our planet earth.”

A United Nations (IPCC) report in October concluded that we only have till 2030 to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius and avoid a climate catastrophe.

Reading Borough Council (RBC) declared a climate emergency in February 2019 following pressure from Extinction Rebellion Reading.