Police say 70 climate-change protesters were arrested after they blocked traffic outside the New York Times building.
The protesters from the group Extinction Rebellion hung banners on the skyscraper in midtown Manhattan on Saturday and on the outside of the Port Authority Bus Terminal across the street.
At the same time, two activists hang up a Climate Emergency sign from the Port Authority building across the NYT building. Activists blocked traffic, forming a human chain and staged a die-in in front of the building.
Extinction Rebellion activists getting arrested by NYPD. Source: AAP
Their action called out the New York Times for ignoring the climate emergency in its reporting.
Protesters were reportedly demanding that the media outlet use the term "climate emergency" instead of "climate change."
New York police arrested 67 people and Port Authority police at the nearby transport hub arrested three others.
Extinction Rebellion activists blocking traffic in an act of civil disobedience. Source: AAP
Charges are pending.
“The lack of coverage of the climate crisis is completely unacceptable,” Becca Trabin, a member of Extinction Rebellion’s press and fundraising teams told the Guardian. “It’s a public safety crisis on a global scale.”
A spokeswoman for Extinction Rebellion, Eve Mosher, said the group wants the media to report on "the climate emergency" so that "people can start pushing for more radical responses."
A Times spokeswoman said in an email that no US news organisation devoted more resources to covering climate change than the Times, the Guardian reported.
Activists climbed on the awning of the New York Times building to hang signs during the rally. Source: AAP
