Climate alarmists loaded up on supplements and stormed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Monday as part of a Global Hunger Strike organized by the group Extinction Rebellion.
Around two dozen hipsters, disheveled climate crusaders and bearded Bernie bros took over the lobby of Pelosi’s Capitol office Monday morning to demand a one-hour, on camera meeting with the speaker, which they planned to use to grill her on “concrete action” to address the changing climate.
Right now: activists with @XRebelDC @ExtinctionR are taking supplements in preparation for an attempted hunger strike at Nancy Pelosi’s office.
The #ExtinctionRebellion activists say they’ll be demanding a sit-down meeting with Pelosi where they will push her on climate action. pic.twitter.com/i7lCQGbQ69
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 18, 2019
The @XRebelDC @ExtinctionR activists have planted themselves in Pelosi’s office and plan to stay until Thursday on hunger strike.
They say it would show that the Democratic Party and government more broadly don’t represent them if Pelosi flies home Thursday without meeting them. pic.twitter.com/lW39Z7Ak11
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 18, 2019
“The session ends on Thursday. If Nancy Pelosi makes the decision not to meet with us and flies back to her Thanksgiving feasts and to her cocktail parties in California, in the glow of that burning state, then I think that will speak volumes about whether, you know, to what extent our government represents us, hears us and understands the science,” Nick Brana, a spokesman for Extinction Rebellion Washington D.C., said in a video posted to Twitter.
The agitators unfurled banners with the group’s logo and messages like “Declare Climate Emergency” as they answered questions form the media and sipped ice water with lemon from fancy glasses provided by Pelosi’s office.
One reporter asked Brana why Extinction Rebellion isn’t focused on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, rather than Pelosi, who allegedly supports their efforts to fight climate change.
A lot of tweets replying to me are asking why @XRebelDC is protesting Pelosi and not – say – @senatemajldr.
That exact question was asked earlier, here was their answer: pic.twitter.com/TzwlBhEO9O
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 18, 2019
“I worked for the Democrats for years. I worked for them on campaigns, John Kerry, Terry McCall, Bernie Sanders campaign last month,” Brana said. “I worked on the (American Clean Energy and Security Act) bill in 2009, when Obama came in and he said he was going to make the climate crisis one of his top three priorities.
“Nothing happened,” he said. “Nothing happens over and over again. The Democrats have full control – both houses, filibuster proof, the presidency – nothing happened. They’ve known about it for 30 years. We’ve gone between Democrats and Republicans for 30 years, nothing happens.
“The emissions continue to increase. Nancy Pelosi is now standing in the way of declaring a climate emergency. She’s standing in the way of a Green New Deal. The Green New Deal doesn’t even go far enough, according to what scientists say. She can’t even allow a nonbinding symbolic resolution to pass. The Democrats just shut down a climate debate – a debate on an existential crisis. That’s what the Democrats have done,” Brana said.
“So I ask, how much better is it to have one party that denies the science, and then another that gives it lip service but denies the consequences of it by not doing anything?”
About three hours into the six-hour standoff, several crusaders mixed cocktails of salt and water to “stay hydrated,” though some opted to take their spoonful of salt dry.
The @XRebelDC @ExtinctionR activists are still in Pelosi’s office, and using salt-water concoctions to stay hydrated and functioning while not eating. pic.twitter.com/JHQCiiskwM
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 18, 2019
“I want to clarify for the record on this: Pelosi’s office put out nice glasses and pitchers of ice water with lemon,” DC “journalist” Ford Fisher posted to Twitter. “Extinction Rebellion did not bring wine glasses.”
Fisher provided periodic video updates on the so-called hunger strike, one of more than 300 campaigns organized in 26 countries to push for action on “the ecological climate emergency,” according to Aljazerra.
“A hunger strike is one of the things we can use that can’t be taken away,” 50-year-old protestor Angus Rose, with UK Extinction Rebellion, told the news service.
The week-long worldwide hunger strike follows massive protest in the UK last month that featured climate crusaders gluing themselves to roads near government buildings and financial institutions, and forcing delays at the London airport.
In the U.S. and elsewhere, Extinction Rebellion presented lawmakers with demands for on-camera interviews last week and threatened to take action if they didn’t adequately respond. This week, they’re following through on their threats.
In Pelosi’s office, the sad and somber group doodled on notepads and sat in a circle as they toasted to their grievances about the climate with the fancy glasses provided by the lawmaker.
“I’m grieving for dry, lifeless soil,” one bearded protestor in spectacles told his comrades before his sip of salt water.
Pelosi responded to the hunger strikers with a letter that patted them on the head and blamed Republicans for climate inaction.
By the way, here is Speaker Pelosi’s official statement on the issue.
While responding to the activists, it doesn’t mention them or their demands. pic.twitter.com/ypoJJHbNDO
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 18, 2019
“As Speaker of the House and as a Californian, I am inspired by the energy and activism of the many young activists and advocates leading the way on the climate crisis, which threatens our health, economic security and future,” Pelosi wrote, before listing climate legislation approved by the House.
“As the Democratic House demands that Senator McConnell take up our legislation to help save the planet and our children’s future, we will continue to take decisive action. The House had held more than 110 hearings on the climate crisis across all our Committees, and guided by our new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, we have advanced dozens of bills to protect clean air and clear water, use energy more efficiently, create good-paying clean energy jobs and train workers to fill them, reduce our dependence on dirty fuels and invest in clean energy innovation,” Pelosi’s statement read.
“Inaction is unacceptable. We need Climate Action Now!”
Brana wasn’t impressed.
Around 5:30 p.m., with no word on a meeting with Pelosi, the climate crusader and his followers packed up shop with a promise not to eat overnight and to return Tuesday.
Interview: @nick_brana of @XRebelDC explains how the first day went at Pelosi’s office. The group was told they’d be given a meeting time, which hasn’t yet happened.
They’ll be back tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/qgTCIcUg1n
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 19, 2019
“It was great. We took the office. We held it the whole day. We plan on coming back in the next days,” he said after the 6.5-hour hunger strike. “We had declaration of hunger strike from all of our hunger strikers, they were very powerful …
“We held a grief circle, as well, to share how we’re all feeling about the climate crisis. And, um, we spent the rest of the day I think just talking about, um, about the climate crisis, and you know, about life and what brought us here,” he said.
Extinction Rebellion is still hopeful Pelosi will bend to hunger strikers and agree to the group’s demands.
My full HD summary video of today’s @XRebelDC #ExtinctionRebellion action in Nancy Pelosi’s office.
As always, all @N2Sreports video is available for license.https://t.co/IEusaLdNgF
— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) November 19, 2019
“Uhh, we expect that, uhhh, Nancy Pelosi will get back to us. We are certainly waiting on that. When we first took the office we, uhhh, asked the schedulers, uhhh, about her availability and when she intended on meeting with us and they said they were going to check on her availability and get back to us on a time,” he said.
“Uhhh, we are now leaving the office and they have yet to give us a time. We have checked with them numerous times, so we look forward to that update.”
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