At least 26 people have been arrested at a peaceful climate change protest on Wall Street today. A police spokesperson didn't have any other arrest information available yet about the protest, which was organized by Extinction Rebellion, who launched a series of climate change protests around the globe today.
In addition, the famous Wall Street Bull was doused in fake blood and dirt, with at least one protester climbing on top and waving the Extinction Rebellion flag.
You can see a video of the die-in protest below, which is still happening in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Police add that the situation is ongoing.
Last month, a man from Dallas was charged with criminal mischief, criminal possession of a weapon and disorderly conduct for bashing the bull with a banjo. The bull has been a frequent target of protesters over the last decade.
Extinction Rebellion, which is fighting for net zero carbon emissions by 2025, is holding peaceful civil disobedience protests in several European cities, including Berlin, Madrid, and London, over the next two weeks. In London alone, there have already been over 200 arrests today.
Check out a few more photos and videos of the protest below. We'll update the post as we learn more information.
Update (5 p.m.): A police spokesperson says that 93 people were arrested altogether today as part of the protests. That includes 26 people who were arrested by the Wall Street bull; 8 people arrested by the Stock Exchange; and 59 who were arrested by Broadway and Pine Street. The vast majority of those arrests were on civil disobedience charges; cops didn't have any more information about the arrests at this time.
The protests are expected to go on in lower Manhattan all week. “There will be broad disruption of business as usual,” a New York-based Extinction Rebellion spokesman told the Guardian. “Frankly we don’t have time to wait for an opportune moment. Climate breakdown is underway and we can’t afford to wait.”
