Rangers have broken through a climate protest blocking the road to Burning Man in Nevada – as footage shows them taking a matter-of-fact approach to activists.
The video shows six protesters from Seven Circles and Extinction Rebellion using a trailer to block the road, causing traffic chaos and miles of gridlock.
The protesters joined the trailers and appeared to clash with those who wanted to attend Burning Man on Sunday.
But rangers from Nevada’s Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department broke through the blockade and quickly began arresting protesters.
A tribal official got out of the vehicle and held a woman to the ground at gunpoint before telling her to “stop resisting arrest.”
As they were dragged away, environmental advocates screamed in horror and some sobbed, saying, “We are nonviolent.”
The footage was widely celebrated as Americans and Brits praised police for their handling of climate protesters who have wreaked havoc around the world in recent years.
Video taken in Nevada shows about six protesters from the Seven Circles group and Extinction Rebellion blocking a road with a trailer
Rangers from Nevada’s Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department drove straight through the blockade and quickly began arresting protesters on the street
Footage released online shows a man telling activists they are on “public property” and need to “clean up the friggin’ mess”.
Activists then tell him to call authorities if they want them to move, as another assured him he would get to Burning Man “eventually”.
A woman is seen chaining herself to the trailer while one of the protesters slaps another man in the face and says, “This is a democracy, we have the right to protest.”
She tells the protester to “lock up and shut up,” as she did, but he continues to berate the angry driver, saying, “Every change in society is due to civil disobedience, all of them.”
Many angry drivers then try to move the trailer themselves as the protester screams that it is hurting her – as one says it was a “stupid action”.
Another protester is heard asking, “Who has the gun?” as the protesters say, “We don’t have any guns at all, we’re environmental protesters.”
Guardian journalist Michelle Hooq claimed on social media that Rangers took part in the protest after receiving a phone call: “Someone in the crowd was about to shoot the activists”.
did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment from Extinction Rebellion, Seven Circles or the PLPTPD.
A ranger was heard saying the protesters had “entered tribal lands” before several were arrested and taken into custody.
Photos from the protest show an XR banner that reads “Ban private jets,” along with other signs that read, “Burners of the world unite and abolish capitalism.”
Last year Rave Revolution installed a “climate artwork” at Burning Man and said their “feedback was excellent” which is why they are aiming for an “expanded presence” in 2023.
Photos from the protest show an XR banner that reads “Ban private jets,” along with other signs that read, “Burners of the world unite and abolish capitalism.”
The protesters joined the trailers and appeared to clash with those who were about to go to the Burning Man festival before police were called
A Tribal Rangers truck broke through the protesters’ blockade and destroyed several signs
Rangers armed with guns appeared to apprehend several members of the Seven Circles and Extinction Rebellion group
They had clashed with those trying to get to the Burning Man Festival in Nevada
Extinction Rebellion has yet to release an official statement on the protest, but the group’s Seattle branch tweeted, “Why would a police officer be such a threat to public safety?”
Seven circles say their goal is “to draw attention to capitalism’s inability to address climate change and ecological breakdown.”
The protesters said they were also opposed to “the popularization of Burning Man among wealthy people who do not live Burning Man’s professed values, leading to the commercialization of the event.”
Mun Chong, an Extinction Rebellion protester, said, “The time has come.” Burning Man should aim to have the same political impact that Woodstock had on the counterculture.
“If we are honest about systemic change, it has to start at home.” Ban the bottom fruit immediately: private jets.
“No individual should have the luxury of emitting 10 to 20 times more carbon emissions than a commercial airline passenger.” Brenner, rebel with us.’
Extinction Rebellion has yet to release an official statement on the protest, but the group’s Seattle branch tweeted, “Why would a police officer be such a threat to public safety?”
Photos taken by photographers at the start of the seven-day event on Sunday showed attendees dressed in futuristic and often scantily clad attire
The protesters said they were also opposed to “the popularization of Burning Man among wealthy people who do not live Burning Man’s professed values, leading to the commercialization of the event.”
Many activists clashed with those trying to get through or take the streets to the Burning Man festival
Seven circles say their goal is “to draw attention to capitalism’s inability to address climate change and ecological breakdown.”
They claim Burning Man’s apolitical stance is “detrimental to claimed values, especially as carbon emissions continue to rise despite government and corporate pledges to cut carbon emissions by more than half by 2030.”
Thomas Diocano, co-founder of Rave Revolution, added: “We don’t have a climate problem, the climate behaves exactly according to the laws of physics.”
“We have an economic system problem, and that economic system is capitalism.” History shows that capitalism cannot be reformed.
“It cannot be changed from ‘inside’.” Are we really willing to sacrifice everything for an outdated, unequal economic system? The time for further development has come.’
His demands include that Burning Man’s leadership “act for system change on both a political and economic level” and ban private jets, single-use plastic, “unnecessary propane burning and unlimited generator use” at the nine-day event.