At least 24 people arrested at climate protest outside Citigroup building in Tribeca
TRIBECA, Lower Manhattan (WABC) -- At least two dozen people were arrested after hundreds of climate protesters crowded the entrances to Citigroup's Tribeca headquarters Thursday morning.
The megabank's global headquarters were briefly shut down as activists blocked employees from getting into work.
The crowd was part of ongoing protests during Climate Week and marked the second day of climate protests in Manhattan.
Officials say protesters unfurled a large banner outside of the building on Greenwich Street starting at 8:30 a.m.
Ultimately police had to intervene so Citi's employees could get to work.
The activists who demonstrated Thursday morning said their message was sent about the dangers posed by global climate change. They claim corporations are making the problem worse.
Activists say Citi is one of the largest funders of the fossil fuel industry in the world and protesters believe the company profits from the climate crisis.
Most of the arrests made are expected to be disorderly conduct, which will be desk appearance tickets or summonses.
On Wednesday a similar protest at Blackrock led to five arrests in Midtown.
The timing is not a coincidence as the U.N. prepares to hold a climate summit next week and activists from around the world are converging on New York.
Citi released the following statement:
"While we respect the right to protest, activists do not have the right to prevent people from entering our building or customers from entering our branch. The activists were given the opportunity to protest peacefully but they chose to continue to prevent people from coming to work. The NYPD responded and restored access to our building for our employees and clients."
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