Commuters in Washington got into a raging confrontation with climate activists on their way to the nation’s capital Friday, with one even threatening to shoot protesters blocking the highway.
A group called Declare Emergency, which is demanding President Joe Biden declare a ‘climate emergency,’ sat themselves down on I-395, one of the main routes to Washington, and refused to get up.
That soon prompted a furious backlash from drivers. One woman got out of her car and threatened the rabble with a gun if they refused to let her past to go see her mom, while an irate man ripped placards out of the group’s hands and tossed them above the median and onto the other side of the interstate.
After half an hour, police arrived to arrest the group.
Blocking roads is aping a tactic that’s largely been used in the United Kingdom, where protesters have interrupted traffic to sound the alarm about climate change.
Declare Emergency’s website and demands compare the threat of climate to Hitler’s Nazi regime in Germany prior to World War II, when ‘President Roosevelt united the country and led us into a struggle for universal decency.’
Those trying to get to work Friday morning were seen on video not exactly feeling the unity, with one getting out of her car and threatening, ‘Move before I pull my gun out.’
This woman ended up getting out of her car and threatening climate activists with her gun after they blocked the I-395 in DC on Friday morning
A man took matters into his own hands by ripping the placard from protesters and tossing it onto the other side of the road
Commuters in Washington got into a stunning confrontation with climate activists on their way to the nation’s capital Friday, with one even threatening to shoot protesters blocking the highway
A group called Declare Emergency , which is demanding President Joe Biden declare a ‘climate emergency,’ sat themselves down on I-395, one of the main routes to Washington, and refused to get up
Blocking roads is aping a tactic that’s largely been used in the United Kingdom, where protesters have interrupted traffic to sound the alarm about climate change
Their website and demands compare the threat of climate to Hitler’s Nazi regime in Germany prior to World War II, when ‘President Roosevelt united the country and led us into a struggle for universal decency’
The group’s goal has been to get President Biden to declare climate emergency that would allow him to bypass Congress and, to their ideas, save the planet
VIDEO THREAD: Drivers were irate this morning as environmental @DecEmergency protesters blocked I-395 Northbound during rush hour traffic into DC to demand Biden declare a “climate emergency.”
One driver got out, grabbed their banners, and threw them into the southbound lanes. pic.twitter.com/Eh4O0KTUWY
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer)
“Move before I pull my gun out” said a driver to protesters, claiming her mother is in the hospital.
The group let her drive by.
“Test me, fucking test me” she yelled as one activist backed up.
She later told me the driver indeed grabbed a gun then, which my cam didn’t catch. pic.twitter.com/uIp8Pwhoa1
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer)
Footage showed another driver angrily confronting the group, saying ‘People are trying to get to work, hundreds of people trying to get to work. What are you doing?’
The group tweeted after the protest, ‘We do not enjoy putting our bodies on the line, we do it because we must. We will keep doing it until [Biden] declares a climate emergency and stops fossil fuel extraction on federal and indigenous land.’
A 2022 study suggested that between 2005 and 2019 of US oil, gas, and coal production came from federal lands and waters.
A driver eventually stole two of the activists’ signs and threw them into the opposite lane. The protesters eventually let them through.
One of the commuters began to try and preach the Bible to the Declare Emergency protesters.
Local authorities eventually arrived about a half hour into the protest and arrested the activists, to the applause of several drivers.
The group tweeted after the protest, ‘We do not enjoy putting our bodies on the line, we do it because we must. We will keep doing it until [Biden] declares a climate emergency and stops fossil fuel extraction on federal and indigenous land.’
Local authorities eventually arrived about a half hour into the protest and arrested the activists, to the applause of several drivers
The group tweeted after the protest, ‘We do not enjoy putting our bodies on the line, we do it because we must. We will keep doing it until [Biden] declares a climate emergency and stops fossil fuel extraction on federal and indigenous land.’
One man, who had gotten out of a Ryder truck earlier to confront the environmental protesters sitting in the highway, took a different approach.
He shifted from arguing with the activists to Evangelizing them, even sitting down in front of them as he preached until police came. pic.twitter.com/E0NJWVtdDg
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer)
In total, it was about a half hour before the police gathered enough units to issue warnings.
When it was time to actually make arrests, three stayed on the street, were handcuffed and taken away. One said the officers hurt his arms.
Some drivers clapped.
Traffic resumed. pic.twitter.com/YSiYlex0Mq
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer)
In July, President Biden warned members of Congress that if they don’t take action to combat climate change then he will.
Biden’s threat came after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia torpedoed the president’s green agenda on Capitol Hill when he said he could not support billions of dollars in new climate spending as part of a larger economic package.
The president has vowed to use his executive powers since Manchin, who represents a state with a major coal industry, made his intentions clear.
But the president stopped short of declaring a national emergency on Wednesday, which would unlock federal resources to deal with the issue, despite heavy pressure from members of his party to do so.
He has still yet to declare one, but the White House said a few months ago that it was an option.
‘The climate emergency is not going to happen tomorrow, but we still have it on the table,’ White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at Tuesday’s daily press briefing. ‘I don’t have a date circled in the calendar.’
In July, President Biden warned members of Congress that if they don’t take action to combat climate change then he will
Biden’s threat came after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia torpedoed the president’s green agenda on Capitol Hill when he said he could not support billions of dollars in new climate spending as part of a larger economic package
But the president will announce federal funds to help heat-ravaged communities in his remarks. And he’ll announce new initiatives to bolster the domestic offshore wind industry.
Last week Biden said he would start taking executive action on climate issues after the talks between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer came to a standstill.
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Outraged DC commuters threaten to SHOOT climate change protesters after they blocked busy freeway
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