JOIN, OR DIE
April 23, 2025
xrnyc_press@unitedrebellion.com
EXTINCTION REBELLION PROTESTOR SPRAYS TRUMP TOWER TO DECLARE “JOIN, OR DIE”
New York, NY - An Extinction Rebellion protester sprayed “USA” in removable chalk on a plaque commemorating the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, in a plea for the country to transcend the failing government institutions that brought the country to the current point of climate collapse.
“I did this because I am an American. It is my duty to stand up for my country, and my Earth, when a government becomes destructive of our right to Life,” said the protestor. “Donald Trump and the regime of private interests he works for—who donate equally to each party—are destructive of your inalienable right to Life. All American political parties are equally complicit in inaction which has brought us to this point. Switching to blue is not the solve. Kamala Harris’ climate platform was fracked gas, much deadlier than regular,” he continued.
Decades of inaction have brought about the current climate catastrophe which threatens all life on this planet. Continuing to not act now will result in even more unpredictable, chaotic weather as well as increasingly severe natural disasters which threaten life and property.
The protester wore a t-shirt with the words “Join, or Die”—a phrase rooted in the legacy of our nation’s founders, who understood that unity was essential in the face of tyranny. They recognized the need to stand together and had the courage to rebel rather than watch their freedom perish. By wearing this shirt, the protester sought to underscore the importance of solidarity among all communities and movements. It was a call to resist a government marked by chaos and cruelty, and to begin building alternative structures capable of repairing the damage being done to the country.
ABOUT EXTINCTION REBELLION
Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on the climate and nature emergency.
Extinction Rebellion exists because the conventional approaches: voting, writing to politicians and signing petitions, have failed. Powerful political and economic interests prevent change, as does our outdated political system itself. Our strategy is therefore one of nonviolent, disruptive civil disobedience – in short, a strategy of rebellion.
Climate boiling is here and now. It’s happening all around us, hitting some harder than others. Extinction Rebellion demands that all of us, especially major institutions and governments, tell the truth about the ongoing Sixth Mass Extinction. Extinction Rebellion believes that, faced with the government’s criminal inaction, it is a citizen’s duty to rebel, through peaceful civil disobedience.
Internationally, Extinction Rebellion has been demanding that those with power act now to halt the worst outcomes of the climate catastrophe currently unfolding. Unlike other climate advocacy groups, Extinction Rebellion understands that we must go beyond politics and establish Citizens’ Assemblies where ordinary citizens can meet in a depoliticized setting to discuss, learn from experts, and make policy recommendations. Only in this way can we achieve the fair and just transition we so desperately need.
Leading by example, Extinction Rebellion is fighting for a more stable, sustainable world.