United Nations Blockade
Sept. 23, 2025
Contact: xrnyc_press@unitedrebellion.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ACTIVISTS ARRESTED BLOCKING TRAFFIC OUTSIDE THE UN DURING TRUMP VISIT: “THE EARTH DESERVES BETTER: RESIST”
NEW YORK, NY — On the opening days of the United Nations General Assembly’s 80th session—and during Climate Week NYC—Extinction Rebellion NY, joined by Climate Defenders, Planet Over Profit, Rise and Resist, and the 50501 Movement, blocked traffic at Third Avenue and East 46th Street, just steps from UN Headquarters.
As Donald Trump arrived to address the UN, activists unfurled a massive banner reading “THE EARTH DESERVES BETTER. RESIST!” and staged a traffic blockade that resulted in multiple arrests. The action was designed to disrupt business as usual and send a message to world leaders: urgent action on climate and human rights cannot wait.
“Our leaders are meeting at the UN while the planet burns—and doing nothing to stop it,” said Matthew Menzies, a member of Extinction Rebellion NY. “Donald Trump represents a billionaire regime funded by fossil fuels, making decisions that endanger every living being. We are blocking traffic because business as usual must stop—literally.”
The coalition highlighted three key demands:
Regulate AI. AI data centers are straining local power supplies and water systems—driving up rates while delivering no benefit to ordinary people.
Stop new fossil fuel pipelines, including the NESE pipeline. The last thing New York City needs is more methane gas infrastructure while cleaner, cheaper alternatives exist.
Lower power bills by going renewable. Solar and wind can provide high-paying union jobs and cheaper, more reliable energy for everyone.
According to Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute, the richest 1% are responsible for more carbon pollution than 66% of humanity combined. Global temperatures have already breached the critical 1.5°C warming threshold, with scientists warning of accelerating feedback loops that risk locking in catastrophic climate change.
“This is a tipping point—not just for the climate, but for democracy itself,” said Meg Star of Extinction Rebellion. “The same billionaires funding fossil fuels are profiting from war, from Gaza to Ukraine. They profit while we suffer. Today we are standing in their way.”
Photos and videos from the action are available [here]. Content is free to use with credit to Extinction Rebellion NYC.
About Extinction Rebellion
Extinction Rebellion is an international movement that uses nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action on the climate and ecological emergency. Conventional approaches—voting, lobbying, petitions—have failed to address the crisis. XR’s strategy is one of disruptive, nonviolent action to force the political, economic, and cultural changes necessary for survival.