Hundreds of thousands of protesters around the globe took to the streets over the weekend calling for an end to the burning of fossil fuels. Climate actions took place in the Philippines, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sweden, Germany, the United States and across dozens of other countries and cities worldwide. Here in New York, an estimated 75,000 protesters joined a massive march Sunday following days of peaceful actions targeting banks and other institutions involved with the fossil fuel industry. It was the largest rally New York has seen in years. Ahead of the march, at least 16 climate activists were arrested Friday after they occupied and shut down the Museum of Modern Art for more than five hours over its ties to fossil fuel billionaire Henry Kravis, co-founder of the Wall Street investment firm KKR.
Meanwhile, in Germany, thousands of protesters gathered in Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate spraying orange paint on its columns. Several protesters were arrested. This is an activist as they were taken into police custody.
Protester: “The government has to take measures now to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. It can’t be that our last basic livelihoods are being destroyed. The Brandenburg Gate stands for a political turning point like no other landmark, and we need exactly this turning point again today. The chancellor continues to pour oil on the fire. It can’t just be that basic livelihoods of millions — no, billions — of people are being put on the line. Science and scientists are clear that we need to exit the use of fossil fuels by 2030.”
The protests kicked off a week of mobilizations as world leaders will convene at the United Nations General Assembly starting today, where U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres is hosting a special climate summit Wednesday, which U.S. President Biden does not plan to attend. After headlines, we’ll spend the rest of the hour hearing voices from Sunday’s March to End Fossil Fuels in New York.