- Title: Climate protesters arrested after blocking Times Square
- Date: 10th October 2019
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 10, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ***WARNING: CONTAINS PROFANITY*** VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS BLOCKING STREET AND SURROUNDING BOAT VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING (English): 'THE OCEANS ARE RISING AND SO ARE WE!' OVERHEAD VIEW OF PROTESTERS AND BOAT BLOCKING STREET (MUTE) PROTESTERS LED AWAY BY POLICE POLICE IN LINE PROTESTERS CHAINED TO BOAT PROTESTERS BEING LED AWAY BY POLICE TO BUS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE PROTESTER FROM PENNSYLVANIA, MELANIE HEYN, SAYING: "We're here to ask the media and the government to tell the truth and respond accordingly. That's it. (REPORTER ASKING OFF CAMERA: WHAT'S THE TRUTH?') To tell the truth about climate change and to mobilize to do whatever is possible to the problem. (REPORTER ASKING OFF CAMERA: 'WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?') It's important because at the current rate we're going to head to extinction. So that's it. It's pretty simple. I don't think, there's no, it's not really a political statement. We're just here because there's a truth that needs to be clear and there are answers to what we can do about it, and if we don't do anything, what are we doing? If we know that it's happening and we're not doing anything, then who are we?" OVERHEAD VIEW OF PROTESTERS AND BOAT BLOCKING STREET (MUTE) PROTESTERS CHAINED TO BOAT VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS BEING LED AWAY BY POLICE WOMAN CHANTING (English): 'ACT WITH URGENCY, THIS IS A CLIMATE EMERGENCY' / VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS BEING LED TO POLICE BUS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CLIMATE PROTESTERS, RUSSELL GRAY FROM WASHINGTON, D.C., AND KOAH WHITE, FROM BRITAIN, SAYING: GRAY: "Business as usual is killing the planet, and we need to interrupt business as usual if we want to survive." WHITE: "I think that the way that the governments are currently working around the world is not good enough. I think that there have been indigenous communities and native communities for years telling us to protect our planet and we have fucked everything up. And we need to now stand up and do something about it and stop being blind to the fact that we're killing the world." POLICE NEAR BOAT
- Embargoed: 24th October 2019 15:59
- Keywords: climate group Extinction Rebellion fake blood demonstrators
- Location: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Society/Social Issues,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA001B0INMMF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: PROFANITY IN SHOT #13
Dozens of climate protesters were led away by police on Thursday (October 10) as they blocked traffic in New York's Times Square with a boat for more than two hours.
Protesters - some cuffed to the boat - chanted, "The oceans are rising and so are we!" as police surrounded them and led them away individually to waiting buses.
According to the New York City Police Department, 62 people were arrested during the protest.
Protesters Reuters talked to said urgent action was necessary to bring attention to the climate crisis.
"It's important because at the current rate we're going to head to extinction," said Melanie Heyn.
"I think that the way that the governments are currently working around the world is not good enough. I think that there have been indigenous communities and native communities for years telling us to protect our planet," said Koah White, a protester from Britain.
"And we need to now stand up and do something about it and stop being blind to the fact that we're killing the world."
(Production: Hussein Waaile, Aleksandra Michalska, Catherine Koppel) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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