DRAMATIC scenes yesterday caught the moment Extinction Rebellion activists caused chaos and large scale disruption outside Amazon in Darlington.
From a bamboo "protest tower" to flares and smoke, a group formed a blockade at entrances to and from the warehouse in Symmetry Park in the early hours of Friday.
Read more: Here’s what happened when Extinction Rebellion blocked Amazon in Darlington
Activists have been holding demonstrations at several 'Fulfilment Centres' around the UK on what had been tipped to be one of the retailers busiest days of the year.
They have also been staging a similar protest outside Amazon's newest warehouse in the North East, Gateshead - with nationwide protests understood to continue today.
Read more: Extinction Rebellion block Amazon Darlington and Gateshead
Extinction Rebellion has claimed the action is intended to draw attention to "Amazon’s exploitative and environmentally destructive business practices, disregard for workers’ rights, as well as the wastefulness of Black Friday."
Meanwhile, Amazon has said it takes its responsibilities "very seriously" and that it has already committed to becoming net zero by 2040.
Read more: What Extinction Rebellion said after arrests at Amazon in Darlington
At Amazon sites around the UK, protesters formed blockades in the logistics entrance, preventing delivery vehicles from entering or leaving.
But in Darlington, such protests led to the arrests of four under suspicion of aggravated trespass, while Amazon bosses were forced to cancel workers' shifts on Friday.
But what did it look like? We've put together a gallery of images captured by The Northern Echo to see what exactly happened on their first day of action.
Take a look below:
What Amazon has said in full
Last night, Amazon said it is working to minimise any potential disruption to customers as it issued a statement following the protests.
A company spokesman said: “At Amazon, we take our responsibilities very seriously.
“That includes our commitment to be net-zero carbon by 2040 – 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement – providing excellent pay and benefits in a safe and modern work environment, and supporting the tens of thousands of British small businesses who sell on our store.
“We know there is always more to do, and we’ll continue to invent and invest on behalf of our employees, customers, small businesses and communities in the UK.
“We’re proud to have invested £32 billion in the UK since 2010, creating 10,000 new permanent jobs across the country this year alone, and generating a total UK tax contribution of £1.55 billion in 2020.”
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