Hundreds of climate activists blocked entrances to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on Monday afternoon as part of a string of actions set to take place for Climate Week NYC.
The protest – spearheaded by Stop the Money Pipeline, a coalition of 240 eco groups, and protest group Climate Defiance – took place outside the Federal Reserve’s offices in New York City and ultimately sparked a large police response. Linking arms to block the building’s doors, activists called for an end to fossil fuel financing and for government action to end fossil fuel development.
“We need to regulate the end of fossil fuels. We need to end fossil fuels now,” one protester shouted. “Our planet is dying. Our forests are on fire. We are being flooded. The hurricanes are getting worse – the earthquakes, the tornadoes. The planet is crying out, we need to hear her. We need international standards to shut this down. Our lives are on the line, our planet, our home is on the line.”
“They’re not doing anything because their pockets are lined with dirty oil and gas money,” she added.
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Other protesters shouted anti-fossil fuels chants, including, “arrest the real criminals – arrest the climate criminals.”
“Fed Chair Jerome Powell is a climate criminal. He must be brought to justice,” Climate Defiance said in a social media post. “Today we stand in the pouring rain, arm-in-arm with dozens of partners, to do so.”
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Climate Week NYC is an annual event hosted by Climate Group, a nonprofit focused on driving climate action worldwide. The event, which includes dozens of protests and events to raise awareness about global warming, is sponsored by several major corporations, McKinsey & Company, Salesforce, Google, Pepsico and BMW.
The Federal Reserve protest, meanwhile, comes as groups like Climate Defiance continue organizing an increasing number of disruptive actions in public places. The group has organized protests in museums, on highly-trafficked roads and highways, monuments, government buildings and officials’ homes.
“Our chests our pounding but our souls are resolved. We are not leaving. We will stay as long as it takes,” Climate Defiance said in a post on Friday after its members organized an action at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.