Three people arrested after Extinction Rebellion shut off traffic in Launceston

Dozens of members from environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion marched from Princes Square to Brisbane Street mall, before blocking nearby traffic.

The road was blocked for about 20 minutes before six Tasmania Police officers arrived and arrested members Graham Bailey, Gabby Knox, and Scott Bell when they refused to leave the blockade.

All three were bailed, and will appear in court on November 16.

Extinction Rebellion Northern Tasmania member Jeff McKinnon said the group was protesting around the issue of mass species extinction occurring around the world.

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"Eminent scientists are now saying that this is code red, that this is a dangerous situation for humanity and other species, and we need to be hearing that message without it being watered down," Mr McKinnon said.

"I don't think people are aware enough, and I don't think politicians are doing anywhere near enough."

He said the group walked "a tightrope" between disrupting the public and drawing attention to climate change, and tried to pick locations that would create "minimal inconvenience".

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However, he said the arrests would be a test of the contentious new protest laws introduced last month that will enforce harsher penalties for protesters in the state.

"We want the public to know that these laws are really just about shutting down Extinction Rebellion events," he said.

The group, which originally began in the United Kingdom, hold regular protests across the country and have become known for using nonviolent civil disobedience to bring attention to climate issues.

Last year two Extinction Rebellion members were arrested by police for blocking traffic near St John Street.

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