Chris Packham today at the big Bath Extinction Rebellion demonstration

TV star Chris Packham and 400 protesters dressed as Red Rebels will take part in a major Extinction Rebellion march through Bath city centre today. Police warned there could be disruption at the event from 2pm to 4pm and said they would “confront” participants.

Extinction Rebellion has announced that the city will be “bathed in red” for a “funeral for nature”. The event is to be organised to mark Earth Day on Monday 22 April, which reaches up to a billion people around the world every year.

The funeral procession for nature will feature 400 Red Rebels in their distinctive red outfits and hundreds of “mourners” in black. They will be accompanied by drummers playing a single funeral rhythm as they march through the city’s historic streets, culminating in a dramatic finale in front of the abbey.

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According to Extinction Rebellion, this is the largest global gathering of Red Rebels ever. 400 participants are expected, five times more than ever before. Participants are travelling from across the UK and will be joined by groups from the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark.

Funerals for Nature will take place simultaneously in Boston, Sydney, Gothenburg and Lisbon. The event in Gothenburg will be a Nordic Funerals for Nature with groups from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland.

Extinction Rebellion said the procession in Bath was designed to raise awareness of Britain as one of the most wild countries in the world, with 43 percent of Britain’s bird species declining and 97 percent of wildflower meadows having disappeared since World War II. Organisers said statistics like these had motivated the group to act, bathing the city in red and declaring “red alert for nature”.

“Eulogy” by Chris Packham

Thousands of “order of service” will be distributed to spectators, containing information about the crisis and what they can do. The procession in Bath will be joined by environmental activist and television presenter Chris Packham, who will deliver a “eulogy” to the crowds as they arrive outside the Abbey at the end of the event. This will be followed by a flash mob performance by the West of England Youth Orchestra.

The centrepiece of the funeral procession will be a willow bier bearing a Mother Earth figurine by artist Anna Gillespie. She will lie on a naturalistic bed of plants designed by award-winning landscape architects Dan Pearson Studio in Chelsea, followed by mourners in black hats and veils.

The event is to coincide with Earth Day and raise awareness that our planet is on “red alert” for nature and that biodiversity is being “wiped out at an alarming rate” around the world, according to Extinction Rebellion. Organisers said the world was facing the “sixth mass extinction” and the consequences could be catastrophic if people do not act quickly. Despite governments’ promises, biodiversity loss shows no signs of slowing down.

Mr Packham said: “By demonstrating now, we can express our sadness, grief and despair at what we have destroyed and continue to destroy in nature. But we must demonstrate an emergency response.”

“We must meet this destruction with a ‘deathbed’ resistance. And we can – because the survival of millions of species rests in the bloody hands of one species – ours. Our fingers are on the flickering pulse of life on Earth and these clever, adaptable and intelligent fingers must not be folded in prayer in the hope that ‘everything will be OK’, but must be formed into cupped hands that can breathe life back into nature.”

“We need to do it now, urgently and openly. We’ve tried to ask, now it’s time to demand. If we want a planet where our beautiful and complex life systems not only survive but thrive, we need to stop talking and start acting to make a difference.”

Rob Delius, head of sustainability and architect at Stride Treglown, is one of the organisers and came up with the idea of ​​Funeral for Nature. He said: “The intention is to send a powerful SOS message to nature by creating a visual spectacle that will shock and inspire viewers in equal measure.”

“Britain has sleepwalked into this nature crisis and the fact that we are now one of the most devastated countries in the world is simply not talked about enough. We want the processions to create a talking point and to mobilise the public to demand that the government, local authorities, landowners and businesses urgently do more to restore biodiversity.”

Doug Francisco, creative director and founding member of the artist collective The Invisible Circus, said: “There is no better time to act than now. It is clear that we are in a crisis and there are no second chances – we must do something immediately.”

“We hope that this demonstration, in its beauty and urgency, inspires action in more cities around the world. We want to see Red Rebels on the streets of the world, spreading the message: If we don’t act now, there’s nothing left we can do.”

Artist Anna Gillespie added: “Unlike traditional protests, there will be no banners or placards in the procession. Instead, we are relying on the powerful imagery of the huge gathering of Red Rebels and the impact of the figure of Mother Nature on a bier carried by mourners to get the message across. Each participant has a strong desire to express their desperate feelings of loss and fear as nature struggles to survive in the face of our human onslaught.”

Avon and Somerset Police said: “A demonstration is planned in Bath at 2pm today and may cause disruption. Our priority is to enable peaceful demonstrations while protecting the rights of people who live and work in the city. Officers will be speaking to those attending the demonstration and the public.”

The event is organised by Extinction Rebellion in collaboration with the Red Rebel Brigade, artists, designers and community groups. The procession will start at 2pm from the Percy Centre in New King Street, pass through the Circus and Bath’s main thoroughfare, Milsom Street, and finish in front of the Abbey.