Climate Change Protesters Close Down Main Square in Paris, Climb onto Oil Tanker in London

Photo: JULIEN DE ROSA/getty

Mass climate change protests sprouted up in the United Kingdom and France on Saturday as citizens urged their legislators to take action before it’s too late.

“Their inaction leads to our rebellion,” was the calling cry for hundreds of people who gathered in Paris' 9th district, including some who lay on the floor during a so-called “die-in” demonstration, per the outlet.

“We are blocking this Paris square to rebel against alternatives that we don’t have,” Lou, a 26-year-old history teacher, told Reuters. They told the outlet that they “joined the Rebellion movement two years ago.”

“This election leaves us with no choice between a far-right candidate with repugnant ideas … and a candidate who during five years cast the ecology issue aside and lied,” they said, referencing President Emmanuel Macron and his challenger Marine Le Pen ahead of their run-off election.

In London, six people were arrested after activists climbed onto an oil tanker in protest over investments in the fossil fuel industry, British police said Saturday, according toThe Associated Press.

This weekend’s protests are the latest in a string of climate-related demonstrations in Europe. On Friday, police in central England reported nine people were charged after Just Stop Oil held a demonstration at an oil terminal near Birmingham, per the AP.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Extinction Rebellionis among the organizations in Europe demanding action in response to climate change. On its website, the group describes itself as “a decentralized, international and politically non-partisan movement using non-violent direct action and civil disobedience to persuade governments to act justly on the Climate and Ecological Emergency.”

In their interview with Reuters, Parisian Lou said Macron “promised us to act for the climate,” but that ultimately, “nothing was done.”

“We want to show that it’s not only through the election that we can act,” they explained. “The vote is not enough. The vote is no longer enough to have ambitious policies. Citizens have to take charge of this topic, rise up, take to the streets, take their place to make the imaginary possible.”

Regarding the future of the planet, Lou said they are “extremely afraid” about what’s to come, though they haven’t lost hope just yet.

source: people.com