Angry drivers in Washington, DC, were caught on video cursing climate activists and throwing their signs during a protest that blocked traffic on a busy highway over the weekend.
Saturday’s climate change protest was the third such demonstration organized by the group in the nation’s capital in a week.
“I want to go to work! I want to go to work! A driver was heard screaming as he stormed through protesters sitting across the street, ripping banners out of their hands and throwing them into the air as he advanced.
A screaming motorist added: “You don’t give a fuck!
“Get out of here! We have to go to work! We have children to feed!
Other drivers tried to reason with the protesters, who simply replied that extreme measures were necessary to save the planet for future generations.
The police finally arrived and warned the protesters to leave the road before arresting them all with handcuffs with cable ties.
Angry drivers delayed by the protest yell at protesters that they have to go to work to feed their children. Will Allen-DuPraw/News2Share
The protest was organized by the group Declare Emergency, which seeks to “disrupt the status quo” until President Biden issues a state of climate emergency and clamps down on climate change, according to his website.
“For us, this was a great way to honor Dr. King’s legacy and continue his tradition of nonviolent, disruptive civil disobedience!” the group wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, along with images of the incident.
It was the third such protest by Declare Emergency to wreak havoc on the streets of DC in the past week, and each time the same protesters appeared to participate, despite their repeated arrests.
When the drivers tried to reason with the protesters, they were told that the climate crisis required drastic measures. Will Allen-DuPraw/News2Share
On Wednesday, activists clad in neon safety vests descended Interstate 395 in DC and sat in all three lanes carrying banners.
One driver managed to push his way past protesters to the side while grumbling: “You are all holding me up. I got a fucking job and s**t,” while other motorists begged them that there might be people dealing with emergencies stuck in traffic.
That holdup lasted nearly an hour as police dealt with a man who had stuck his hand to the pavement. The protesters were again arrested, the footage shows.
Saturday’s rally was the last organized by the same people in all of DC in a week. Will Allen-DuPraw/News2Share
A man ran through the protesters ripping the signs and banners from their hands and shouting that he had to work. Will Allen-DuPraw/News2Share
Several days earlier, during the morning rush hour last Monday, many of the same people sat on a sidewalk in downtown DC.
“I get mad, but rationally, just take a picture and send it to your boss,” said one protester laughing at another as angry commuters yelled that they had to go to work.
“Yes. I’m my own boss, so I would have to send it to myself,” said the other protester.
The protesters were again arrested at that time.
The Metropolitan Police did not respond to requests for comment from the Post on Tuesday.
Police arrest climate activists after breaking through their barricade outside the Burning Man festival in Nevada on Sunday.FNTV
The incidents are the latest such protests, which are not uncommon across Europe, to make headlines in the United States.
Protesters at the entrance to the Burning Man festival in Nevada on Sunday pushed back several miles after blocking the road to the event.
The police eventually drove their trucks through the blockade before arresting the protesters at gunpoint.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn