How Penny Mordaunt showed support for Extinction Rebellion protests in Australia
- Penny Mordaunt tweeted a video of activists dancing in Melbourne, Australia
- Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi replied: ‘Now that’s tempting to move to’
- A week earlier, XR sprayed fake blood on the Treasury building in Whitehall
A demonstration by Extinction Rebellion won a humorous message of apparent support from leadership candidate Penny Mordaunt.
Miss Mordaunt shared a video of activists dancing in sync to the 1977 Bee Gees hit Stayin’ Alive on the streets of MelbourneAustralia.
In addition to the clip from Australia in October 2019, Ms. Mordaunt referred to the antics of the British protesters, saying: ‘Ha, I see your giant pink octopus, you glued yourself to the tarmac, your fake bloody fire engine and I’m lifting you you this.’
Mafia Mentality: Protesters Dancing on the Streets in Melbourne in 2019
The MP for Portsmouth North added supportive hashtags to her message, including ‘that’s what I call a protest’ and the ironic ‘Civil Disco ministry’.
Extinction Rebellion held a series of demonstrations in London in the summer and fall of 2019.
A week before Ms. Mordaunt’s tweet, the campaign group used a fire truck to spray fake blood over the Treasury building in Whitehall.
The blockade of several locations around Westminster led to the arrest of 135 protesters.
In the video Ms. Mordaunt shared, protesters in brightly colored clothing danced in the street with flags bearing the Extinction Rebellion logo.
Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi agreed with Miss Mordaunt and replied to her message: ‘Now that’s tempting to move to, it’s either me or Dom C leading the dance!’ in a reference to Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser.