Burning Man 2023: Nevada Rangers plow truck through Extinction Rebellion protest after the activists...
Rangers have smashed through a climate protest blocking the road to Burning Man in as footage shows them taking a no-nonsense approach to the activists. Video shows six demonstrators from Seven Circles and Extinction Rebellion jamming the street with a trailer, causing traffic chaos and miles-long gridlock. The demonstrators locked themselves on to the trailer and appeared to clash with on Sunday. But rangers from the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Police Department of Nevada plowed straight through the blockade and quickly began arresting demonstrators. One tribal officer got out of the vehicle and ordered a woman to the floor at gunpoint before telling her to 'stop resisting' arrest. The eco-zealots shrieked in horror and some sobbed saying 'we're non-violent' as they were hauled away. The footage was roundly celebrated, as Americans and Brits praised cops for dealing with climate protesters who have wreaked havoc across the world in recent years. Footage posted online shows one man telling activists that they were on 'public property' and had to 'move the f***ing mess'. Activists then tell him to call the authorities if they want them to move, as another assured him he's 'going to eventually get' to Burning Man. One woman can be seen chaining herself to the trailer as one of the protesters gets in another man's face, saying: 'This is a democracy, we have a right to protest'. She tells the protester to 'lock in and shut up' like she did, but he continues to berate the angry driver saying: 'every change in society came from civil disobedience, all of them.' Many irate drivers then try to move the trailer themselves, as the female protestor screams that they're hurting her as someone says it was a 'dumba** move'. Another can be heard asking a protestors 'who has the gun', as the protestors say 'we have no weapons at all, we're environmental protestors'. Guardian journalist Michelle Hooq claimed on social media the Rangers attended the protest after receiving a call 'someone in the crowd was going to shoot the activists'. DailyMail.com did not immediately receive a response to a request for comment from Extinction Rebellion, Seven Circles or the PLPTPD. One ranger could be heard saying that the protestors were 'trespassing on tribal land', before several were arrested and taken into custody. Photos from the protest show an XR banner that says 'Ban Private Jets', as well as other signs which say 'Burners of the world unite, and 'abolish capitalism'. Last year Rave Revolution installed a 'climate-related art piece' at Burning Man, and said that their 'feedback was excellent' so they were looking for an 'expanded presence' in 2023. Extinction Rebellion has not yet released an official statement on the protest, but the Seattle branch of the group tweeted: 'Why would a police officer risk public safety like that?' Seven Circles say that their aim is to 'draw attention to capitalism's inability to address climate and ecological breakdown'. Protestors said they were also against 'the popularization of Burning Man among affluent people who do not live the stated values of Burning Man, resulting in the commodification of the event.' Mun Chong, an Extinction Rebellion protestor, said: 'The time has come. Burning Man should aim to have the same type of political impact that Woodstock had on counter-culture. 'If we are honest about system change, it needs to start at 'home'. Ban the lowest hanging fruit immediately: private jets. 'No single individual should have the luxury of emitting 10 to 20 times more carbon pollution than a commercial airline passenger. Burners, rebel with us.' They claim Burning Man's apolitical stance is 'detrimental to its claimed values, especially as carbon emissions continue to rise despite government and corporate commitments to reduce carbon emissions by more than half by 2030.' Thomas Diocano, co-founder of Rave Revolution, added: 'We do not have a climate problem, the climate is behaving exactly in line with 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 the 'inside'. Are we really ready to sacrifice everything for an outdated, unequal economic system? The time to evolve has come.' Among its demands are that Burning Man leadership 'advocate for system change on both political and economic levels' and ban private jets, single-use plastics, 'unnecessary propane burning and unlimited generator use' at the nine-day event.