A protest by environmentalists in downtown Helsinki on Monday afternoon disrupted rush hour traffic and caused public transportation delays.
Hundreds of supporters and members of Elokapina — the Finnish arm of the environmental group Extinction Rebellion — met at Senate Square and marched towards Mannerheimintie, the city's main thoroughfare.
As of around 5 pm, police had detained around 50 protesters who they said did not follow orders to move.
Police officers ordered the protesters to end the demonstration in front of the Opera House at the intersection of Mannerheimintie and Helsinginkatu, because traffic was heavily congested there.
Police said public transportation was particularly being affected by the protest. According to transport authority HSL a number of bus lines were already delayed and that the delays were expected to continue until 5 pm.
Police had warned earlier that officers were prepared to detain protesters who refuse to follow orders.
Officers were seen carrying away protesters who were blocking traffic. According to Yle journalist Ulla Malminen, the removed protesters were put onto a city bus.
The group has demanded that the government stop excessive logging, strengthen biodiversity and reduce environmentally harmful subsidies. Elokapina said its supporters planned to stay on Helsinki streets for at least three days.
As of Monday, around 1,500 people had signed up to take part in this week's protests. Around 400 of those said they were prepared to be detained by police.
