Hollywood Stars Fund Radical Environmentalist Groups

Some of Hollywood's biggest names have been funding a radical environmentalist group that most recently tried to blockade traffic to the Burning Man counterculture festival, according to a new report.

Known as Extinction Rebellion, or XR, the group has been largely causing disruptions in the U.K., where it was founded as part of a "decentralized, international and politically non-partisan movement" demanding climate action, according to the New York Post.

However, over the weekend the eco-warriors were among a group of activists called Seven Circles that set up a blockade into Black City Rock, Nevada, as a way of protesting capitalism and calling for Burning Man leadership to ban private jets, as well as single-use plastics and "unnecessary propane burning."

The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department ended the protest by smashing through the barriers and detaining demonstrators at gunpoint.

XR is known for its radical antics and is funded from individual donations. It also receives funding from the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF), founded in 2019 by Rory Kennedy, the documentary-maker daughter of Democrat presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, which is giving out millions of dollars in grants to environmental organizations.

The fund's first financial injection came from oil heiress Aileen Getty, a British-born granddaughter of the oil tycoon John Paul Getty.

CEF, which according to its website supports "disruptive climate activism" because "it is the fastest way to create transformative change," awarded $5.1 million in grants to 44 groups last year.

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Adam McKay, director of "Don't Look Up" and "The Big Short" are supporting the movement. As previously noted by Bloomberg, McKay pledged $4 million to CEF last September.

Further, more than 2,000 donors contributed to the fund last year, according to its annual report, including Disney heir Abigail Disney and actor Jeremy Strong, of HBO's "Succession."

CEF, which has funded 27 groups thus far in 2023, was one of XR's three largest contributors. The organization, which is primarily funded by the public, received $362,701 in donations in 2022, according to its annual report.

Other notable contributors were outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia and a French movie company called Pulp Films. Their collective donations totaled $73,000.

As the Post noted, it is unclear how XR spends its funds, but Clare Farell, one of its co-founders, briefly touched on the topic with Bloomberg.

"There's not enough funders, in my view, like Climate Emergency Fund, who are intentionally funding frontline boots on the ground, the people who show up, the people who take risks," she said.

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