On Wednesday, April 17th, Extinction Rebellion New York City (XR-NYC), a member organization of the international movement Extinction Rebellion (XR), engaged in a nonviolent direct action to confront climate change. The protest was part of a worldwide week of action to call out global leaders’ inactions combating the climate crisis.
A large group of activists staged a die-in on Chambers Street blocking traffic which resulted in arrests by the NYPD. Two climate activists hung up banners from traffic lights reading “Declare Climate Emergency” and were also detained by NYPD.
New York City XR activists called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to take immediate steps and criticized proposed climate legislation in the NYS Assembly as well as the NY City Council. Both, the Climate and Community Protection Act and the Climate Mobilization Act, they argue, does not go far enough considering the recent report by scientists that we have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown.
©2019 Gabriele Holtermann Gorden
Extinction Rebellion (XR) was founded in the United Kingdom in late 2018 as an international movement of nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience. In the Fall of 2018, thousands of rebels protested the inaction of the UK government peacefully blocking roads and occupying five bridges of the River Tames for six hours. The organization demands a climate and ecological emergency declaration, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2025, and the creation of a citizens assembly on climate and environmental justice. The movement has grown rapidly in a short period and has member organizations all around the world.
Photo Gallery:
