A Nevada Ranger drove his police pickup truck through a blockade set up by environmental activists who caused mileslong gridlock in protest of the annual Burning Man event in the state's Black Rock Desert.
Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal police broke up the blockade and began arresting the climate protesters from Seven Circle and Extinction Rebellion on Sunday, the first day of Black Rock City. The festival runs through Sept. 4 and is expected to draw 70,000 people.
The climate protests were aimed at Burning Man's single-use plastics, "unnecessary propane burning and unlimited generator use" during the nine-day event, wrote a co-founder of Rave Revolution. They also protested the use of private jets to fly in attendees.
Protesters set up a blockade made up of signs and a trailer to prevent event-goers from passing through, which a Ranger easily plowed through. He exited the truck with gun drawn and ordered protesters on the ground, where he began handcuffing them.
Protesters were arrested for "trespassing on tribal land."
"Environmental activists face violence from law enforcement worldwide, but this example is particularly horrifying," Extinction Rebellion Global posted to social media site X.
Burning Man bills itself as a "rejection of corporatism and capitalism," ideals that the protesters found common ground on, save for the carbon pollution.
"Burning Man should aim to have the same type of political impact that Woodstock had on counterculture," Extinction Rebellion protester Mun Chong said, per the Daily Mail. "If we are honest about system change, it needs to start at 'home.' Ban the lowest hanging fruit immediately: private jets."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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