'You bring London to a standstill, and come on here like an IDIOT!': Piers Morgan blasts Animal Rebellion activist for dressing as BROCCOLI and refusing to explain why eco-mob have shutdown capital
The man, whose name is believed to be Roland, is a member of Animal Rebellion, a vegan offshoot of the Extinction Rebellion movement that has brought chaos to London and cities around the world with their 'Autumn Uprising' this month.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain dressed as the vegetable, he refused to elaborate on why viewers up and down the country should give up meat, and simply said instead: 'I'm just a humble broccoli. I just grow'.
He was blasted by presenters Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid who accused him of not taking climate change seriously.
Piers told him: 'Had you made a coherent, powerful, science-based argument, you could have made a real impact.'
At one point, the exchange was interrupted by 'Mr Broccoli' saying he had to take a phone call - pulling out a banana from his pocket and answering it like a phone.
He was one of thousands arrested during London demonstrations this month, which included a sit-in at the capital's iconic Smithfield meat market, where protestors stopped traders by camping out overnight and covering their stalls with fruit and veg.
A video of him being apprehended by three Met Police officers on Monday, as he carried a sign saying 'I'm locally-sourced and environmentally-friendly' and shouted 'give peas a chance', has been viewed millions of times online.
Mr Broccoli today appeared on Good Morning Britain with an activist from the extreme vegan branch of Extinction Rebellion, Animal Rebellion
A picture of him posted on social media showed he got a taxi to the ITV studios - and not public transport
He was arrested under the Public Order Act but was later released without charge.
In a bizarre exchange on the ITV programme this morning, he was repeatedly asked what his aims are and whether he 'identifies as a broccoli'.
Mr Broccoli simply replied: 'I am Mr Broccoli Head. I'm just a humble broccoli. I've always been a piece of broccoli.'
Quizzed on what he wanted the government and big businesses to do about climate change, he quipped: 'We are in extremely hot water environmentally speaking. It's going to go pear shaped.'
He was slammed by Piers, who he repeatedly referred to as 'Peas', and was told he 'didn't know the facts'.
Mr Broccoli is pictured being led away by police officers in central London on Monday
The GMB anchor said: 'Why should I listen to you? You've brought London to a standstill for two weeks, we give you the chance to come on national television to present your case and you sit there dressed like a broccoli.'
Susanna fumed: 'It's a serious point. You're not going to win anyone over dressed as a broccoli.'
Asked whether he 'practices what he preaches' and has electronic gadgets that pollute the environment, the activist replied: 'I just grow. I'm just a broccoli. I don't have electricity.'
But a picture of him posted on social media shows he got a taxi to the ITV studios to take part in the show - and not public transport.
It comes after Piers blasted Extinction Rebellion co-founder Skeena Rathor for getting a chauffeured car to the west London studios when she appeared on the show last week.
After advocating a plant-based diet, the vegan activist was asked why it would save planet, but couldn't provide an answer.
He said 'I'm not a scientist' and 'a plant based food system is great for the environment', before his fellow Animal Rebellion activist chimed in: 'My client is just a broccoli, it's very easy to cherry pick the science. It's easy to talk about individual change.'
He was berated by hosts Piers Morgan, which he repeatedly referred to as 'Peas', and Susanna Reid, who told him he 'didn't know the facts' and 'wasn't taking it seriously'
The unusual debate was interrupted when Mr Broccoli pretended to answer a phone call, pulling a banana out of his pocket instead of a phone
Mr Broccoli quickly began trending on Twitter with users unable to believe their eyes
Piers continued to blast the pair claiming they didn't understand why a plant-based diet would be good for the environment and why they were protesting in the first place.
After the show, Mr Broccoli quickly began trending on Twitter with users unable to believe their eyes.
He divided opinion, with some finding his costume hilarious, and others incensed by it.
Lord Sugar tweeted to say Mr Broccoli will 'add insult to injury' by excreting methane in excess if he only eats plants.
Mr Broccoli has created his own social media profile with the bio describing him as: 'Just an ordinary veg calling for sy-stem-ic action on the climate crisis and a transition to a plant-based food system.'
He was later pictured with WAG Lizzie Cundy behind the scenes at GMB.
Activists from Animal Rebellion, an extreme vegan offshoot of the main Extinction Rebellion movement, occupied Smithfield meat market during their two weeks of chaos in London.
Staging a 'people's assembly' with speakers including TV presenter and animal lover Chris Packham, they demanded the Government oust all meat traders from the market and make it exclusively for fruit and veg sellers.
Dozens camped out overnight waiting for traders to arrive in the early hours - only to stop them setting up their stalls and covering them with plant-based food instead.
The protest sparked fury among workers and meat-lovers alike, as many claimed protestors are 'interfering with people's livelihoods'.
More than 1,640 climate change protesters have now been arrested over the demonstrations.
The Metropolitan Police gave the latest arrest tally as the force faces legal action over a city-wide ban on Extinction Rebellion's Autumn Uprising protests.
Lawyers for the group are applying for a judicial review of the ban at the High Court on Wednesday after some claimed it was unlawful.
The ban was condemned by the Green Party and Labour, with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott saying it was 'completely contrary to Britain's long-held traditions of policing by consent, freedom of speech, and the right to protest'.
Police used section 14 of the Public Order Act to restrict the protest, originally at 12 sites near Westminster, to the pedestrian area of Trafalgar Square.
After what Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor called 'continued breaches' of the order, officers moved in to clear Trafalgar Square on Monday night.
He was later pictured with WAG Lizzie Cundy at the Good Morning Britain studios in London
Activists from Animal Rebellion, an extreme vegan offshoot of the main Extinction Rebellion movement, occupied Smithfield meat market during their two weeks of chaos in London
Martin Daubney MEP branded the plan to transform Smithfield into a 'plant-based emporium' as 'abject nonsense'
Under the order, any assembly - a group of more than two people - linked to the Autumn Uprising is unlawful.
Protesters are set to continue defying the ban, with a group of breastfeeding mothers and babies going to the offices of Google and YouTube, and a rally at Trafalgar Square.
Environmental journalist and campaigner George Monbiot was aiming to get arrested at Trafalgar Square.
Julian Thompson from XR said: 'We have been on the streets to demand that the Government produces a plan to deal with the climate and ecological emergency.
'The Government's silence is deafening, with no mention of it in the Queen's Speech, which is their programme for government for the year.
'At a time when it's more important than ever to peacefully assemble and protest on these emergencies, we are now at risk of being silenced by the authorities.
'This is a dangerous precedent. We need more democracy, not less.'
A Government spokesman said: 'The UK is already taking world-leading action to combat climate change as the first major economy to legislate to end our contribution to global warming entirely by 2050.
'While we share people's concerns about global warming, and respect the right to peaceful protest, it should not disrupt people's day-to-day lives.'
Do you know who Mr Broccoli is? Email tips@dailymail.com or call 0203 615 1637
An Animal Rebellion activist is pictured outside the Bank of England on Monday on the seventh day of their 'Autumn Uprising' that has brought chaos to London
'You DON'T practise what you preach!' Piers Morgan blasts 'HYPOCRITE' Extinction Rebellion rabble-rouser for taking chauffeured car to GMB studio while eco-mob cause chaos in London
By Rory Tingle for MailOnline
Piers Morgan laid into the co-founder of Extinction Rebellion today for taking a chauffeured car into the studio and refusing to admit she owned a TV.
The Good Morning Britain presenter claimed it was 'hypocritical' of Skeena Rathor to attend the protests while building up her own substantial carbon footprint - and fired off questions asking which electronic items she owned.
'Do you have a TV at home? Do your children use iPads? Can you answer these questions? Do you have air conditioning? Do you walk your kids to school? Do you see the problem with all this?' he asked.
Piers asked the protester: 'How did you get here this morning?'
She replied saying: 'Your [GMB] car picked me up'.
After criticising her for 'hypocrisy', Piers began to quiz her on what electronic items were in her home, but became frustrated when she refused to be drawn in.
Becoming increasingly agitated, Piers said angrily, 'Sorry, I'm really having a problem here. You're not answering a single question... Unbelievable. Sorry I'm really frustrated here… Total waste of time.'
The exchange began after Piers and Susanna Reid interviewed two Extinction Rebellion activists attending today's protests, who explained they wanted politicians to act to avert the 'climate catastrophe'.
The Good Morning Britain presenter claimed it was 'hypocritical' of Skeena Rathor to attend the protests while also using electronic items in her own home - and fired off questions asking which ones she owned
When the camera panned to Skeena Rathor in the studio, Piers began asking her about what electronic gadgets she owned.
Asked if she had a TV, she smiled sheepishly and said: Can you tell me the point you're trying to make, Piers?'
He repeated the question numerous times, becoming increasingly frustrated when she didn't answer.
'Will you try answering one of my questions - can you please stop talking,' he said.
'I'm really having a problem here, I'm really frustrated here. I'd respect you more when you admit what that you actually do.'
The campaigner defended herself by saying the problem was with 'the system' and it was 'impossible' not to use electronic items 'unless you live in a wood completely on your own'.
Asked if she had a TV, the activist replied: Can you tell me the point you're trying to make, Piers?'
Refusing to let the matter drop, Piers raged: 'The truth is you do have a television and you don't want to admit to having a television is because that immediately throws you into the hypocrisy debate because you're guzzling up and burning the atmosphere with your TV, and you don't want to admit it because it makes you look like a rank hypocrite.'
It came as police called in reinforcements from across Britain after failing to smash Extinction Rebellion's illegal eco-village in central London where activists were free to rave at a giant Orbital gig in Trafalgar Square last night.
The protesters even managed to expand their territory by almost a third overnight having already shut down two miles of roads around Parliament in the past 48 hours.
Today the activists began the day with a giant yoga session before again blockading Government departments starting with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [DEFRA] - there will also be a mass 'nurse-in' by breastfeeding and bottlefeeding mothers next to Westminster Abbey.
'You bring London to a standstill, and come on here like an IDIOT!': Piers Morgan blasts Animal Rebellion activist for dressing as BROCCOLI and refusing to explain why eco-mob have shutdown capital
!['You bring London to a standstill, and come on here like an IDIOT!': Piers Morgan blasts Animal Rebellion activist for dressing as BROCCOLI and refusing to explain why eco-mob have shutdown capital]()
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