Climate change activists  closed off major routes through the centers of European capitals as they expand a campaign for stronger measures to combat climate change.

In London At the start of two weeks of planned peaceful civil disobedience,  Extinction Rebellion protesters glued themselves to the ground outside UK government buildings.

Activists blocked roads, bridges and squares all over London's government district of Westminster to call on politicians to take urgent action to curb carbon emissions.

 A mock missile was towed outside the Ministry of Defence to urge that funds spent on the UK's nuclear weapons program should be transfered to environmental issues.

London's Metropolitan Police  arrested 135 people taking part in protests organised by the climate change protest group, the police said on Monday.

The group expects 10,000 people will come to the capital from across Britain to join the two-week protest, which is part of a coordinated international movement. There were similar climate protests on Monday in Berlin, Vienna, Amsterdam, Madrid and other cities around the world.

Activist Jake Lynch said, "Well it's now five months since parliament declared a climate emergency, and yet we've seen no emergency legislation brought forward to take effective action to stem the climate crisis. So we're still subsidising fossil fuels, more than any other countries in Europe, globally carbon emissions are still increasing, we're heading in precisely the wrong direction. We here at Extinction Rebellion are taking action to interrupt the flow of normality, because it is that flow that is carrying us towards disaster."

In Amsterdam, hundreds of demonstrators blocked the Stadhouderskade, in front of the Netherlands' national museum. Police arrested 50 as they forcibly created a path through. The group had secured a license to demonstrate on the condition that it not block traffic.

In Berlin, groups gathered at dawn at the iconic Victory Column near Berlin's Tiergarten park. Police closed off surrounding roads to prevent buses and cars reaching the protest. Other campaigners cycled through the city to make their voices heard.

At a nearby location, police were filmed cutting protestors free from a car to which they had attached themselves in order to block traffic.

The protests are part of what Extinction Rebellion activists call an "international rebellion". Tens of thousands of people are expected to take part over the next two weeks.