Bedford Extinction Rebellion Face up to climate change challenge

The move was designed to represent the government’s failure to respond to the climate emergency.

Alis Huntington, who made the masks, said: “I’m here today because I’m a mother, I love my children, and I take my responsibility for them very seriously.

“Put simply, I want them to have a safe future.”

Alis made the masks from recycled sheets, recycled rope, velcro, bungee cord and eco-friendly water-based fabric paint.

She added “It’s designed to highlight how our government, along with most world governments, are in a perpetual state of denial and inaction - see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil - when it comes to environmental issues.”

Her son Jasper said: “Despite the overwhelming evidence that human activity is driving our planet towards catastrophic climate breakdown, governments continue to choose profit over planet, business as usual over meaningful change, and expect us all to do the same.

“The science is clear, we need to act now, or face the end of life as we know it. Wake up! ‘Business as usual’ is no longer an option.”