Several protesters working with activist groups climbed a crane at a construction site in Washington, D.C., Wednesday morning to spread a powerful message to all Americans.
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An orange banner that said RESIST, sponsored by Greenpeace Inc., could be seen hanging above the construction site. The location of the banner seemed carefully chosen, as it appeared directly above the White House when looking north.
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The protesters shut down traffic for several blocks as police tried to assess the situation.
It's going to be a long 4 years… 😩 pic.twitter.com/MuPo8Dbox3
— Cloture Club (@ClotureClub) January 25, 2017
In a Facebook Live broadcast of the event, Greenpeace Inc. Board Chair Karen Topakian explained why she and others hung the banner.
According to Topakian, the activists were “fighting for climate change, and fighting for a better world.”
Topakian later criticized President Donald Trump for signing executive orders to continue construction on the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipeline.
“We are out here today with a message that says RESIST,” Topakian said. “This president did not win the popular vote…that means more people in the populous didn’t want him than did want him.”
According to the Associated Press, at least seven people climbed onto the crane and explained to police they were “conducting a First Amendment action”
“Capt. Robert Glover of the Metropolitan Police Department told reporters Wednesday morning that officers were called to the area of 15th and L streets and found three people who weren’t authorized to be at the site attached to the crane. He says another four people are now on the crane, too,” the Associated Press reported on Thursday. “Glover says the protesters believed to be associated with Greenpeace told police they’re conducting a First Amendment action.”