Resist: That's the message a Greenpeace banner is sending after protesters commandeered a construction crane a few blocks away but visible from the White House and hung the giant banner from it.
According to Business Insider, seven Greenpeace members climbed the 270-foot crane early Wednesday to hang the 70-by-35-foot banner, which is clearly visible from the South Lawn. The crane sits on the construction site of the former Washington Post building.
The Greenpeace activists remained on and around the crane Wednesday morning, saying they intended to stay as long as they could to post live updates and other broadcasts to the Greenpeace USA Facebook page, Business Insider reported. Two protesters hung from the banner on ropes, apparently providing weight to keep the banner from blowing in the wind.
The "Resist" banner is a continuation of protests surrounding President Donald Trump’s inauguration, said spokesman Travis Nichols, according to USA Today. Greenpeace is opposed to Trump’s attempts to move forward on the Keystone Pipeline, his removal of information about climate change and LGBTQ rights from the White House website, and other moves the organization feels hurt the environment or roll back rights important to the group.
“The sun has risen this morning on a new America, but it isn’t Donald Trump’s,” activist Pearl Robinson said in a statement, Business Insider reported. “I fear not only the policies of the incoming administration, but also the people emboldened by this election to commit acts of violence and hate.”
Robinson was one of the seven activists that unfurled the banner; Greenpeace Board Chair Karen Topakian is another one of the seven, BI said.
Police responded to the activists and stated on Twitter: “While we respect everyone’s right to protest, today’s actions are extremely dangerous and unlawful.”