Climate change protests occurred around the world Monday, and activists in New York City took the opportunity to vandalize the iconic Charging Bull statue on Wall Street, pouring fake blood on the sculpture and standing atop it while calling for change.
The protest started at 10 a.m. EDT, marking the beginning of a two-week, worldwide call to action concerning climate change, an issue that is becoming a political linchpin around the world. A group called Extinction Rebellion is organizing the demonstrations that are taking place in 60 cities across the globe, according to CNBC.
Many Democrats vying to face incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election have made climate change a big platform for their campaigns with expensive plans that seek to cut down on carbon emissions, or promote cleaner forms of energy. Trump has rejected climate change reports in the past.
Extinction Rebellion’s website calls out governments for not doing enough to combat climate worries and says that “together, we will peacefully occupy the centers of power and shut them down until governments act on the Climate and Ecological Emergency,” according to its website.
During the “die-in,” protesters poured fake blood on the statue while others laid on the ground pretending to be dead. One individual climbed atop the 11-foot-tall symbol of American capitalism and waved a bright flag emblazoned with the organization’s emblem.
@ExtinctionR action under the national symbol of excess greed pic.twitter.com/fZXJgCqwku
— Jim Dawson (@TheySayNothing) October 7, 2019
Tourists were blocked by some protesters until the NYPD moved in and began arresting some in the crowd. The bull has been a popular site of activism in the past, with a similar protest against climate change happening in the same spot a couple of years ago.
In a somewhat more bizarre occurrence back in September, a Texas truck driver attacked the bull with a banjo while calling it “the devil,” leaving a huge gash in the statue. He was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
Maniac smashing the Charging Bull in Lower Manhattan NYC… pic.twitter.com/3jALJzWYmd
— Manny Alicandro (@Manny_Alicandro) September 8, 2019
Disruptive protests organized by the Extinction Rebellion were occurring in countries like Austria, France and New Zealand. Protesters in the U.K. shut down a number of major roads in London, along with the Lambeth bridge and other sites across the U.K. where the organization originated from in May of 2018.