Police gather and hover nearby. Politicians rush past on their way into the House of Commons, smiling benignly as the decoy choir launches into a hearty opening song. Distracted by the music, they do not notice that most of the well-dressed people entering St Stephen's Hall with them are looking nervous and walking stiffly.
It is hard, after all, to walk properly when you've got a large protest banner stuffed down the leg of your trousers - and are worried that in less than five minutes you're going to be arrested in the home of the UK parliament.
Johnny Devas is a retired architect, specialising in the gothic architecture that makes parliament one of the most recognised buildings in the world. But yesterday, his expertise is a ruse and "architecture" a code word.
Once all 100 of the real climate choir protest singers have passed through the airport-style security outside the medieval hall and gathered round, Devas says the magic words: "The architectural tour is about to begin."
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