A FARNHAM mother and teacher was arrested on Easter Sunday while taking part in the Extinction Rebellion climate change protest in London.

Fiona Massari, a 53-year-old mum of two, was arrested during the morning on Sunday at Waterloo Bridge.

She went to demonstrate on the bridges in London to “raise people’s awareness of this crisis”, and confirmed she had never been arrested before.

Fiona, who runs a yoga studio in Farnham and teaches children who are home educated and need additional support from home, found out about Extinction Rebellion (XR) last year.

She had been to Surrey County Council to support Jonathan Essex, a Green councillor, in passing a motion to declare a climate emergency in Surrey and pledge carbon neutrality by 2030.

But after this was “totally watered down”, Fiona said she had to follow her heart, protest, try to inform others and galvanise them into protesting too.

The former Waverley Abbey teacher ran meetings in her yoga studio, affiliated with the Godalming XR group, and had training before starting a Farnham group.

Fiona said: “I had some reservations about the name and logo of XR, about disrupting the public and about sticking my neck out. But in the end I just could not stand by and do nothing.

“When you have come to terms with how serious and urgent the crisis is, and know the government and business have to act right now, it becomes impossible not to act.”

Fiona went to London on Thursday and visited all four protest sites, but felt the “greatest affinity with Waterloo Bridge.

By Saturday night, Fiona said police were cutting through the iron two protesters had used to lock themselves to a truck, which was acting as their stage.

Fiona said: “There was a massive police presence and it appeared the officers might take the bridge.

“I felt very strongly that as we had already galvanised media and public attention, and since we had Greta Thunberg coming on Sunday and had the chance of negotiations with government, it was essential to keep the bridge until the progress towards change was assured.

“So we held a candlelit vigil and sang, while the police spent until 4am removing the truck.”

While the sight of vans and police lined up was unnerving, Fiona said: “We knew we were doing something really important so stayed calmly there until we were picked off and arrested.

“Some police officers gave me a little nod or smile as I sang ‘Police, we love you, we’re doing this for your children too’. Others were unwilling to make eye contact.

“It must be hard to arrest people you agree with. The police were careful and courteous as they carried us off.”

Fiona hopes not to be charged as it would cause some “difficult” consequences. “But I was willing to take the risk because it is nothing in comparison to the disastrous consequences of doing nothing. I am so thrilled we have achieved so much. People are really coming on board,” she said.

An XR Farnham Arts Lab has now been started to find “creative responses” to the climate crisis.