London (AFP)

Hundreds of people demonstrated Friday in London but also in Barcelona, ​​Amsterdam, Geneva or Dublin to call to save the Amazon under fire, responding to a call for mobilization around the world for the lungs "on fire" of the planet.

In front of the Brazilian Embassy in London, protesters carried signs "Stop Destruction Now" or "Save Our Planet", as well as the logo of the ecologist movement Extinction Rebellion (XR), who called for this rally under the slogan "Our lungs are on fire"

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is "extremely concerned" by the situation in the Amazon, said a government spokesman on the eve of the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, where French leaders Emmanuel Macron, German Angela Merkel and Canadian Justin Trudeau hear about the massive fires in Brazil.

"Save the Amazon!" Shouted protesters from the sidewalk in front of the Brazilian embassy, ​​held at a distance by police barriers. Among them, many children accompanied by their mothers, drawing with chalk on the ground, blowing soap bubbles or making crowns of leaves.

"I am very concerned about climate change, especially the impact of livestock in the Amazon and on the planet," AFP Lucy Brown, 41, who works in the charity sector, told AFP. his two children of 2 and 4 years old.

- "Horrible pictures" -

"We have all seen these horrible images and we want to do something in solidarity with people in Brazil," said Luisa Steward, a 36-year-old English teacher. "We have children and we want them to grow up in a world that still has its lungs," she added.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a climate-skeptic, was under international pressure as fires in the world's largest rainforest spread rapidly.

According to Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE), there have been nearly 2,500 new fire starts in 48 hours in Brazil as a whole. Deforestation, which is advancing rapidly, is the main cause.

According to the INPE, 75,336 forest fires were recorded in the country from January to 21 August - 84% more than in the same period last year - and more than 52% of Amazon.

Demonstrations were also scheduled for Friday in Sao Paulo and Rio, as well as in front of other embassies and consulates of Brazil with the call of Extinction Rebellion and "Fridays for Future", the movement of the young Swede Greta Thunberg, muse of the fight against global warming, especially in Berlin, Madrid and Turin (northern Italy).

In Barcelona, ​​several hundred people gathered in front of the Brazilian consulate to criticize the government of Jair Bolsonaro.

"These fires are caused with the consent of the Brazilian government that does nothing to stop them.If there is one person to blame, it is Mr. Jair Bolsonaro," told AFP Aitor Urruticoechea, spokesman for "Fridays for future" in the Catalan city.

The Dutch branch of this movement conducted a short action on Friday afternoon at Dam Square in Amsterdam. According to the Dutch press agency ANP, the demonstrators carried out a "die-in" for about ten minutes, lying on the ground, claiming to be dead.

In Dublin, a hundred people occupied the entrance to a building that houses the Brazilian Embassy.

Other gatherings are planned, in Warsaw and Lisbon on Saturday and Brussels on Monday.

© 2019 AFP