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Radical left-wing environmentalists blocked Monday morning rush hour roads in New York City, igniting fury among Manhattan motorists looking to get to work.
What are the details?
Northbound lanes of FDR Drive were closed at Jackson Street in Manhattan before 9 a.m., WPIX-TV reported.
Video cameras captured the road blocking as it unfolded:
#BREAKING Traffic backed up in Manhattan as climate protesters block the FDR Drive during rush hour.\n\nProtesters appeared to have chained themselves in the roadway and are using vehicles to block the way.pic.twitter.com/ysnUABXJOo— Scootercaster (@Scootercaster) 1635165981
Extinction Rebellion NYC was behind the stunt, the station said, adding that the group was calling on President Joe Biden to push environmental reforms with the "Build Back Better" plan. Biden was scheduled to visit New Jersey Monday to pitch the plan, WPIX added.
Content warning: Language:
UPDATE: Climate protesters from #extinctionrebellion are still blocking FDR Drive in Manhattan.\u00a0They're vowing to cause further disruption until President Biden takes executive action to fulfill\u00a0his climate pledge to cut U.S. emissions in half by 2030.pic.twitter.com/zbLAYkRO8d— Scootercaster (@Scootercaster) 1635167503
Angry drivers
In one clip, irate drivers exited their vehicles to confront the protesters face-to-face.
"You guys work?" one motorist hollered. "We got things to do!"
Another driver kicked and tossed the group's orange cones, yelling at them to "get the f*** outta here!"
"I f***in' work, man!" the first motorist yelled.
Also a woman emerged from her vehicle to implore the protesters to move so she could take her child to school.
(Content warning: Language):
BREAKING: Climate Protesters from Extinction Rebellion are Blocking the FDR Highway on Manhattan\u2019s East Side During Rush Hour. \n\nDrivers On Commute To Work Are Very Agitatedpic.twitter.com/e4HZJODSKb— HeadlineHunter! \ud83d\udea8 Alerts (@HeadlineHunter! \ud83d\udea8 Alerts) 1635174954
"If we do not act today, if @potus does not act today, NYC will be underwater by 2100," the group tweeted. "It's a matter of life and death."
Dear commuters: we are interrupting traffic this morning not to annoy you, but to force the public to confront the true dangers of unchecked climate change. If we do not act today, if @potus does not act today, NYC will be underwater by 2100. It's a matter of life and death.pic.twitter.com/2gTTal0zgA— Extinction Rebellion NYC \ud83c\udf0e (@Extinction Rebellion NYC \ud83c\udf0e) 1635165863
Motorists were advised to expect delays and consider alternate routes, WPIX reported.
More from the station:
Another protest near West 34th Street and 12th Avenue blocked all southbound lanes the same time, according to Notify NYC. Those lanes reopened around 10 a.m.
It was not immediately clear if the protest on the west side of Manhattan is connected to the protest on the FDR Drive.
NYC climate change activists block FDR in lower Manhattan and West Side\u00a0Highwayhttps://gobnewsonline.com/nyc-climate-change-activists-block-fdr-in-lower-manhattan-and-west-side-highway/\u00a0\u2026— GOB TV and Radio (@GOB TV and Radio) 1635177937
WPIX — citing the city's emergency management department — noted that roadways reopened as of 10:45 a.m.
Anything else?
Extinction Rebellion has created public disruptions for a number of years to get its agenda across. On Earth Day this past April the group dumped manure near the White House to protest Biden's "bulls**t" environmental plan.
But their antics typically have made them look even more foolish:
- In October 2019, then-"Good Morning Britain" co-host Piers Morgan tore into an Extinction Rebellion protester dressed as broccoli for an on-camera interview.
- That same month, some of them used a fire truck they purchased on eBay to spray water infused with red food dye upon the British finance ministry building, when the hose exploded in their faces.
- Again in October 2019, members of Extinction Rebellion stood atop London trains during rush hour — but furious commuters weren't having it and pulled them off the roofs.
