The Metropolitan Police has defended its officers after they were seen smashing windows and using force against Extinction Rebellion (XR) protesters.

Footage shows police breaking glass on vehicles – one with people inside – and manhandling demonstrators chanting ‘we’re nonviolent’ and attempting to block a key London road.

Officers used batons and dragged protesters from a bus on London Bridge, which the group was trying to disrupt in its latest roadblock.

XR accused the Met of having ‘no thought’ for the safety of peaceful protesters – and said the right to demonstrate was being put at risk.

It comes as the group’s latest round of protests on the climate crisis continued to cause disruption in London.

Now into the second week of action, XR’s ‘Impossible Rebellion’ is turning its attention to the City of London and big finance, with the group ‘carefully’ smashing windows at JP Morgan on Wednesday morning.

Following the action in London Bridge on Tuesday, the Met tweeted: ‘There have been some questions today on our use of force while attempting to disrupt the protest involving Extinction Rebellion’s bus.

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‘It is very clear that the demo near London Bridge was an attempt to cause a major disruption to one of London’s busiest bridges.

‘Seeing this, officers nearby took immediate action to prevent any unreasonable disruption to the highway, and to detain those attempting to cause disruption or who were obstructing officers in the lawful execution of their duty.’

The force continued: ‘We believe this swift action prevented some protesters from setting up further complex lock-on devices which were inside the bus.

‘Given the circumstances and likely disruption to the community, our initial assessment is that their use of force was reasonable and proportionate.’

Earlier, XR tweeted a video of some of the police action and tweeted: ‘We are nonviolent. (The Met) have smashed windows for the second time with no thought for the safety of peaceful protesters in the vehicles.

‘The #RightToProtest is at risk. We must stand together in the face of a (government) who silence protest rather than act on the crisis.’

Police have also faced criticism for not stopping the disruption more effectively – with some suggesting they should be less tolerant of the demonstrators.

Meanwhile, eight women lined up outside JP Morgan’s office in Embankment at 7am on Wednesday morning and broke two windows.

Dressed all in black and hammers painted with words like ‘life, love and care’, the group stuck stickers to windows reading ‘in case of climate emergency, break glass’ – and then broke the glass.

They branded the company the ‘World’s worst bank’ for funding fossil fuels and said they took care to make sure no one would be hurt in the incident.

One demonstrators, Sally Davidson, said: ‘Climate change and the extraction of fossil fuels are causing untold damage to people’s lives and livelihoods, and damage to a pane of glass is insignificant in comparison.

‘If this act of property damage is necessary to raise the alarm about the greater destruction caused by the financial investments of JP Morgan to public attention, then I am prepared to do it.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted JP Morgan for comment.

Barclays and HSBC have also been targeted by the group.

XR says the ‘political economy is the root cause of the climate and ecological crisis, with destruction and exploitation hardwired into it’.

As of 6.45pm on Tuesday, police said there had been 43 arrests that day – taking the total since the demonstrations began to almost 500.

The protests come after a landmark environmental report warned of a ‘code red’ for humanity on the climate crisis – and ahead of the UK hosting a crucial global summit in Glasgow this November, called COP26.  

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