British climate protester muzzles terracotta army

LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters) A climate campaigner breached security at the British Museum in London at the weekend to place masks on two of the terracotta warriors in an exhibition there in protest at China's booming carbon dioxide emissions.

Martin Wyness, a father of two young daughters, said he made the protest on Sunday to draw attention to the lack of international action on global warming and specifically China's growing role in the climate crisis.

''It is a protest against China's CO2 emissions. Nothing was damaged. It was all very respectful,'' he told Reuters, adding he had then been grabbed by security guards and bundled out of the ''First Emperor'' exhibition.

The exhibition which runs to April next year includes the largest number of figures to have been loaned abroad together at one time by China.

A museum spokeswoman said: ''We have examined the two objects very carefully and there doesn't appear to be any damage,'' adding security had been stepped up as a result.

Security around the 2,000-year-old terracotta figures in the exhibition has been deliberately kept discreet with visitors allowed to get within a few feet of the ancient warriors.

''The idea is very much about letting visitors get close to the warriors to see the detail and stand face to face with them.

It is a shame he chose to abuse that privilege,'' the museum spokeswoman added.

REUTERS CS BST0412